A Worshipful Heart

Travel Wish List Part 2 - International Travel

I have been to seven countries outside the U.S. and have always enjoyed seeing different parts of the world, getting a taste of another culture, meeting people who may live very differently than I do. My experiences in traveling to Israel, France and Germany were very enlarging and exciting and yes, educational. I learned so much as I was stretched in some new ways and exposed to new things.

Here are my top choices for international trips I hope to make one day - the first few are in order, then I've just listed what I want to see!

1) Italy - I just want to go all over! Too many places to list. It would take a couple of weeks.

2) Ireland - Ireland captures my imagination. I want to go to Ireland, hear the music, see the dancing and wander out in the countryside and see the places where Christianity was first introduced into the western world.

3) Great Britain - I want to see the Lake Country, where C.S. Lewis lived and wrote, shop in the markets in London, and have tea! And of course I want to see Big Ben!

4) Greece - Did you see "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"? The scenery in this movie inspired me to see Greece.

5) Switzerland/Austria - still wanting to do the Sound of Music Tour and eat Sacher Torte in Vienna and see the Swiss Alps! (I've seen the French Alps but I wanna see it all!) I also want to hike with Phil here.

6) Scotland - gotta buy me a Boyd (my grandmother's family name) tartan and see the Highlands!

7) Fiji - can you say beaches?

8) New Zealand - I saw "Lord of the Rings" and fell in love. It looks mystical.

9) Prague, Czech Republic - I want to see the old city, supposedly one of the most beautiful in the world.

10) Holland - to see the tulips of course

11) St. Petersburg - I hope to take Maria here one day. The architecture is amazing to me.

12) A safari in Africa somewhere.....to see those animals running wild would be amazing.

12) Maybe Turkey on a tour of Paul's missionary journeys....

I'd love to go back to Israel as well.....it was hard to soak it all in. I'd love some more time there!

The more I travel the more God gives me a heart to see the nations know Him and worship Him. There is so much scripture about seeing the nations worship and it comes alive to me when I travel outside the boundaries of my own country.

Psalm 86: 9: "9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. "

When I travel, I remember that God is God over the whole earth, that His creation and work is so much bigger than I can conceive here in my world in Madison, Alabama. As I travel and meet people from other countries, God softens my heart and deepens my desire to see the world come to know Him. Traveling brings the world a little bit closer.......

Oh the Places I'd Like to Go......U.S. Edition

I am borrowing this idea from my friend, co-worker and trailermate Alison. She is travel mad like I am!

I have been to many, many places in the United States. As a child we traveled all over, with one particularly memorable trip through the Badlands and Yellowstone. Phil and I got engaged on a trip to Montana. We've traveled quite a bit in our 24 years of marriage and continue to consider seeing a new place a grand adventure. Alison is a bit ahead of me, but I have been to 38 states so far and hope to see them all one day.

Here are some of the places in the US that are at the top of my wish list......some of these I saw as a child but don't really remember.....and they are in no particular order.....and yes, I grouped some together.

 1. Outer Banks, North Carolina (been to NC. not the Outer Banks)

2. Oregon - coast and Multnomah Falls and Cascade Mountain Range

3. Alaska!!! - Denali, Glacier Bay, Kenai Fjords

4. Yosemite National Park AND the Redwoods - California

5. Glacier National Park - Montana and Colorado

6. Yellowstone National Park and The Tetons - Wyoming, Montana and Idaho

7. The Florida Everglades and Keys

8. The Adirondacks and Niagra Falls, New York

9. Vermont in the Fall

10. Boston and Nantucket/Cape Cod, Mass

11. Hike Down into the Grand Canyon and stay at Ghost Ranch - Arizona

12. Sanibel Island, Florida

What place in the US would you really like to see?

Things I'm Learning

I wanted to quickly share with you all a couple of things God really led me to deal with on this trip. For those of you who know me, you know I've struggled to learn to relax. (that's an oxymoronic statement, huh?) I've tended to fill each day up, constantly referring to my "to do" list, and worried about all the things and people I had to keep organized - I just could not seem to turn my brain off. In the last few months, God has been leading me to relax a bit more, showing me how I need to rest in Him more and more and to trust HIM to act as well. As I was flying over to Kauai this time, I was reading a book and the author talked about "honoring the sacredness of this present moment" - in other words, paying attention to the gift of NOW and being fully present in IT, instead of living in regret for the past or anxiety for the future. For a worrier like myself, this was a challenging statement to consider, but I felt led by God to really take this to heart while I was away with Phil. Given what all I've been working through, the past and the future are ALWAYS on my mind, so this was a struggle for me. Whenever I was tempted to make a list, or worry about a future struggle, or even to remember a painful relationship, I remembered that God had given me the gift of that moment and I was going to be thankful and honor it, enjoying all God was giving me and doing in me RIGHT THEN - the warm drowziness of sleep, the beauty of the sun shining on the water, the joy of being with Phil. In doing this I found myself more aware of the blessings of God, the wonder of being with Him, and the beauty of His creation. In this way I didn't allow regret, worry and anxiety rob me of the joy of life! I also gave Phil a gift by doing this - I was truly with him, my thoughts were not elsewhere and distracted. I gave him the gift of my full attention - and it was wonderful.

Another funny thing God spoke to me about is somewhat related. All of you ladies can relate to this - when you are 42 years old and go to the beach with many younger women around it's hard not to absolutely obsess about all of your physical flaws. There was one moment I thought, "I wish I had at least ENJOYED being thin and fit and young!".  I felt embarassed alot of times and worried about how I looked. God really brought me up short on this train of thought as well, so I spent time thanking God that my body is strong and healthy. No it's not perfect and aging really is humiliating, but it's a fact! Just like I don't want to let being ill keep me from living fully, I also do not want to let my own low self esteem or a lack of confidence keep me from experiencing all of the riches of this one life I have to live. So I jumped in the water with my boogie board and adopted an "I don't care" attitude. I was thankful for the opportunity and I didn't know anyone anyway! This was just another way I had to learn to relax, let go, focus on thankfulness and the present moment. And a great blessing of this was that I got to swim with the turtles! That wouldn't have happened if I had stayed on shore!

To further my journy into relaxing, today Phil and I bought a Wii! I'm gonna have to practice up......

Kauai Pictures Uploaded

Hi! My true post for today is below, but I've uploaded my pictures from Kauai and wanted to share a few of them with you here. You can see the photo album to the right as well! Enjoy seeing and reading about some of our favorite moments on our trip. Again, thanks so much for praying for us.

Serendipity

Serendipity is defined as the event of an unexpected discovery. Our time in Kauai has been filled with those! Here are a few we've experienced in the last few days.

First we made a return to Brenneke's Beach, the scene of our terror filled attempt at boogie boarding last year! This year was much better though and we had a great time enjoying riding the waves and swimming with the sea turtles! They were all over the place and one in particular really loved riding the waves with me. It surfaced within a few inches of me over and over again, surfing the waves right beside me. It was at least three feet long!

Then we went off the beaten path and discovered some smaller beaches a little to the east. The picture above is the first one we came to. Isn't it beautiful? We also found this little bay where the swimming was splendid and I even did a little snorkeling. We enjoyed a walk around the point and just enjoying the beautfy of the day. It was a great "serendipity" for us to find these beaches and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

We ended our day with dinner at Duke's, which sits right on Nawiliwili Harbour and had a delicious meal in a breath-taking setting. They had a trio of two ukelele players and one guitarist that came to our table and played and sang for us. We requested a love song and they sang and played "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" - which of course made me cry! It was so precious to be sitting there holding hands with Phil, the love of my life for 25 years now, on the beach in Hawaii and to hear that song being sung for US!

Today we took our 4WD Jeep and did a bit of exploring - up by the Wailua River. We drove and drove and drove, passing the spot where the Jurassic Park Gates used to be, and taking a jungle hike to the special little waterfall you see here. We were miles and miles from any civilization and the scenery was superb! We went to the absolute end of the road (and I use this term so lightly) and found another wonderful "serendipity" awaiting us. We drove right up to an upper branch of the river and here is the beautiful scene we were treated to below.

 

Wow! What a time we've had here on Kauai! Tomorrow is our very last day and our flight out leaves at about 10:00 pm. We'll arrive back in Madison around 5:30 pm on Saturday. Watch for more postings of pictures - we captured so many unbelievably beautiful scenes and I can't wait to share them with you. We appreciate your prayers for a safe return!

We Made It!

I am proud to say that Phil and I completed our personal challenge -sea kayaking almost 18 miles around the Na Pali coastline to land on Polihale Beach. This area is very remote with no services and only one beach landing for the day, which was at a beach designated only for kayakers. No way to hike or drive in! The entire day was an adventure I'll remember the rest of my life.

So here's the short version. We arrived at the beach around 6:30 and I knew right away I was probably the weakest link. Most were younger than us but it ended up that our strongest paddler was by far our oldest member - Jerry - around 65 years old and still running ultra marathons! We couldn't keep up with him! We launched from Haiena Beach park on the far northern area of Kauai to head around the point. As we headed out to sea in our tandem kayaks I will admit to being a bit fearful. There was no turning back at this point and we had been warned of seasickness, fatigue and sunburn. I wanted to finish the day well and it was a challenge to pace ourselves yet still keep up. As you can see above the first bit of sea was smoother but we were constantly riding 5 foot swells. We saw wonderful scenery and amazingly close views of pods of dolphins and many sea turtles and even the endangered Monk Seal, which is native to Hawaii. (he crawled right up on our  beach!) We went into a sea cave and stopped here and there for a swim. I loved getting out of the kayak and swimming out in the open ocean. The water was so clear you could see all around you - it was amazing. UNTIL I tried to "Superman" my way back into the kayak and dunked Phil! Oh well, he needed to get in for a swim anyway! We would capsize two more times that day! We stopped for a break nearer our lunch site - about 8 miles into the day - in a sea cave without a top, if that makes sense. It was beautiful. But when we came out we had to go straight out to sea because of a reef we were trying to avoid. We were on the windward side of the island and the wind had picked up, making it about a medium chop. We were also near a cliff, which meant the waves bounce back and you catch them from both directions. I didn't feel like we were making much progress and then when we got tipped over by a wave I really struggled to get back in with all of the waves around us. I don't have any pics of this part of our journey as we were struggling just to paddle!

This is a picture of our secluded beach. The only people there were kayakers - and at 11 miles from the nearest put in point there weren't many of them there. We found tons of beautiful shells and had a great lunch of fresh pineapple (out of this world) and sandwiches. Phil and I hunted for shells, walked around and reapplied our sunscreen. By this time it was unbelievably hot. We were on the west side of the island and it was about 1:00. Only 1 1/2 hours of paddling to go, and it was fairly smooth, but we were exhausted. It was the hardest paddling of the day and the beach seemed like it was SO far away! The sun and wind were scorching hot and my arms were so sore. This is the part of the trip that Phil and I had to really focus to finish. (I don't guess we had a choice but it was hard to keep going) I had to make myself count in sets of 200 strokes and promise myself a respite afterwards. We jumped out one more time to swim and then - finally - we approached Polihale and made a "surf landing", which seemed fairly simple with some help. We had done it! I was so amazed that I could do this very physically taxing thing given how sick I had been in the past two years. Even tired, hot and sore, I was proud and thrilled.

We  showered, changed and piled into the van for the two hour trip back to our cars. You can believe I bought the tshirt and when you see me wear it, know that I wear it proudly and with thanksgiving for a healthy body and a strong husband! :) Seriously, last night was killer. I thought maybe I had broken something in one of my arms, but a little med, a hot bath and some sleep and I am still sore but fine. Today was a slow day as a result, but we had an adventure not many people will ever have and I am really amazed by that. This may not make sense to you, but I really did enjoy the creation of God that is my body during this adventure. I am thankful that I am strong and healthy enough to do all of this. I can only say WOW! Thanks for your prayers!

We will be home Saturday night!

Kauai Update

The time is almost here. Tomorrow morning at the terribly early time of 4:30 we will get up and head out for our kayaking adventure along the NaPali coast - shown at left. We are so excited! Pray for us to not get seasick and for us to truly sense God and celebrate the "sacredness of the here and now" as we enjoy this adventure together. This is the lesson God had been speaking to both Phil and I on this trip - to enjoy the moment we are in. So we've had a great time exploring many different beaches, taking the unexpected side roads, and just generally being aware of both God and one another in each moment, putting our anxiety or regrets aside for this time away. And we are really having the most wonderful time!

Here's a few of our favorite things from our trip so far: driving around in our Mustang convertible with the top down exploring and finding beaches we've never been to, fighting over our Shave Ice and Phil getting a brain freeze cause he was trying to eat it before me, hiking down, down, down to Secret Beach and seeing the Kilueau lighthouse from there, discovering these great coconut chocolate cream puffs, flying over the Na Pali coast and all of the canyons and waterfalls (including the one from Jurassic Park) and only getting a  LITTLE motion sickness, going to church this morning at Calvary Chapel Kauai (they meet in a REAL tent - pcitures to come), getting breakfast every morning from our favorite coffee shop - Java Kai, Phil stopping TWICE as we were driving along to buy me a beautiful lei, eating a Puka Dog, eating at Keoki's!, Phil buying me the most beautiful Ni'ihu shell necklace and earrings,and just laying on the beach reading and doing only what we want to!

We are thankful for this great opportunity. Thank you for praying for us. We are enoying the wonder of God's creation here on Kauai and in one another. We can't believe that on June 2nd we will celebrate our 24th anniversary. I thank God for such a wonderful husband, my three sweet children and you, our friends. To all you ladies - Happy Mother's Day!

***Closed note to "Office Decorator" - touch my office at your own peril - I won't give you the chocolate covered macedamia nuts I bought you!***

Aloha for now!

   As of 5:30 am Wednesday morning Phil and I will be on our way to Kauai! We are very excited and have all sorts of fun things planned - a helicopter tour to see the parts of Kauai that are simply not accessible any other way, snorkeling at Tunnels Beach, hitting the Shrimp Station and trying different flavors of shrimp and eating with the locals, going all the way to Polihale Beach this time and seeing the dunes, renting a 4WD for a few days and doing some exploring, eating LOTS of shave ice (macadamia nut ice cream with shave ice and syrup - lingonberry/passion fruit -  all topped with CONDENSED MILK! YUMMY!), finding some hidden beaches and eating our hamburgers from Duane's Ono Charburger while we're sitting there, boogie boarding, taking some afternoon naps, maybe getting a massage, hiking along the coastline, eating at Keoki's Paradise, visiting the coffee plantation, and kayaking the Na Pali coast! We are well overdue some time away with one another and poor Phil deserves this break from work as well. So pray for us and keep checking back. I'm not going to blog everyday but I will try to share now and then some of the fun we're having, especially after our big 17  mile kayaking trip! Pray for us - for our safety, for us to enjoy one another, for us to hear from God and to sense Him in these beautiful surroundings and for us to be able to truly rest - body and soul. Pray for our family as well, that they will be safe and healthy while they are here at home and that no emergencies crop up for anyone to deal with. We're off to Hawaii - our happy place! As Phil says, "It's just good for the soul!".

Sabbatical Update May 2, 2008

Today, as I celebrate my personal day of Sabbath, I wanted to "rest" from serious writing and simply share with you a sabbatical update and share some prayer requests with you. As you know if you are a frequent reader, I spent the first Sunday of my time away in the Chicago area at a retreat center with the retreat group I am so fortunate to be a part of. I spent Sunday morning digging into "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality" and "Sacred Rhythms", praying for my family, and writing the first draft of the song, "Invitation", that I shared in yesterday's post. I came home Tuesday night and have focused the rest of this week on three very basic things:

1) Exercising regularly and making that a priority in my life. My goal is to walk at LEAST 4 miles a day, preferably more. I put my iPod on and away I go. I enjoy that time away, alone with God and my thoughts - the peacefulness of this time is therapeutic as well. Honoring the body God has given me is a spiritual discipline I am working to get a handle on.

2) Simplifying my life, purposefully resting and taking my time in order to hear from God. I find that I am at a loss without a long "to-do" list. I carried this horrible habit right on into my sabbatical! I mentioned this last week, but I really had to just delete many things I hoped to accomplish such as tasks around the house and focus on relationships and slowing down a bit more. I did get a couple of closets cleaned out but I only do those things when I just really want to. My focus is on being with God, resting and my family. I think this challenge is bigger than this so who knows what else God will show me about this area of my life.

3) Learning more about myself. I've noticed alot of things about myself the beginning of my sabbatical and this past retreat and I'm trying to take note, learn from it and make any shifts that God directs. Going at life at a more leisurely pace makes room for thoughtful introspection and prayer that is missing in a more fast-paced life. One day I may share what I have learned. Maybe!

You can pray for me in these ways particularly:

1) That I will be guided by God in what I choose to do each day. I felt so behind here at home that I thought I had to catch up and so I struggle with all of the things that are "undone" around me. Yet I know that the work God desires to do in my life is so much bigger than a closet or cabinet cleaned out! So I struggle to remain sensitive to God's voice and promptings.

2) That I will learn to relax and be still more. I still find sitting still without ANYTHING to do a real challenge. However, it is in quietness and stillness that I hear from God so clearly.

3) That I will make the needed changes in my life that God is guiding me to make.

4) That I could see myself clearly - both weaknesses and strengths - and discern God's hand in my life's story so I can step into the future with joy, gratitude and wisdom.

5) That Phil and I will have a great time as we go to Kauai next week (leaving Wednesday), great safety and that our hearts will be bonded together as we relax and enjoy this wonderful place God has made.

6) As we go that our children will be safe here at home. Pray for Daniel and Philip as they take final exams next week as well.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

Beyond Words

I am sitting here this morning just overwhelmed by God's goodness. Once again God worked in ways I never imagined or even dreamed of on our retreat. My heart is very full this morning. I am not going to write much right now, but keep checking back this week to read all about the retreat. I will write about different aspects of it each day and may even have a guest blogger or two to help you get a good feel for what God was doing in the midst of our community of worshipers.

I will take a moment right now to share that God provided a lot healing for my heart this weekend through the gift of loving friends. I needed to be touched by my friends and God very graciously gave me that wonderful gift. After a year and a half of feeling abandoned in many ways and experiencing the deepest relational pain I have ever felt, I began to isolate myself a bit. I think I wondered if at any moment someone one else would say goodbye (or just leave without the goodbye!). This made me afraid to be really open to my friends because I really felt like I would just die if I lost even one more friend. To be quite frank, those wounds of having people leave The Brook were traumatic for me - they went very deep and are still not fully healed. Maybe that will take the rest of my life. But I do know that God poured a very healing salve on my wounded heart this weekend. Through worship, through the touch of friends, through the joy of seeing my sweet team have fun together and engage with God, I felt the cracks in my heart begin to soften and heal. This weekend God reminded me again that I am "not forgotten and never forsaken".

This weekend I was an eyewitness to God's glory shown through the community of believers that is our worship ministry team. I was reminded that God is indeed faithful, for me, and with me. He is working. He is not silent! God is good.