Just to say that I did blog today.
The weather was nice and warm again. Stayed home with AnnMarie most of the day except for some grocery shopping. Lori visited us and is staying the night. Tomorrow we are off to Chernighiv to visit friends and preach in the church "The Resurrection and the Life"
Maybe more tomorrow after we get back
Alan
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Blogathon 2009 Day 6
Every day is a day of discovery. Sometimes it is rediscovery. Some concepts come slow to me. I was thinking about regret. Regret is putting your focus in the past. Hope is not in the past. Hope lies in our future. When we look ahead to the hope we have in Christ, when we look past our past failures and glories we begin to see what God can and will do in our lives. In Lamentations the author says that God's mercies are new every morning. Every day is a new chance to look for success. Every new day is a chance to put failure and disappointment behind us and to plan for a new success. This doesn't mean that we cannot learn from our past failures and successes, but we live in the present and it is constantly moving towards the future. What is done in the past is done. We cannot go back and change it. If we don't realize that, we may continue wishing that something wouldn't have happened or wishing that it would happen again. Today is all we have. Tomorrow is but a promise of things to come. Choose this day whom you will serve and how you will live. Learn from your past, plan for tomorrow, but live for today. We cannot change yesterday and we cannot be certain of what tomorrow brings, only that God brings it.
Blessings
Alan
Blessings
Alan
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Blogathon 2009 Day Four
This day brought our first accumulation of snow. It was more easily measured in millimeters than inches and only if you measured the drifts. But it was what I would count as the first real snow. A new season is about to fall upon us, are we ready? Well we have the winter coats out and the wool socks. I have yet to find my gloves.
I wonder what new seasons God has waiting for me in my life. There is part of me that is bored with this season. I feel like I am not doing enough to count for something. Yes I preach and I teach, but is that enough. I am praying that the Lord will shake things up a bit. What storm or seasonal change is on it's way to me? I love being a missionary, but there are times when it has become to "normal" for me. I feel like I should be living a bit more on the edge, but my flesh would prefer being comfortable. I know that God can and will reveal His will for my life. I guess, as I see the leaves falling and the first dusting of snow, I wonder if I am slipping into my own winter of sorts. But winter means heavy socks and clothes. It means warming up after venturing out in the world and it means that there is a spring coming. A time of new growth and renewal. I look forward to God's refreshing and restoration. I look forward to seeing and experiencing what God is going to do.
Blessings
Alan
I wonder what new seasons God has waiting for me in my life. There is part of me that is bored with this season. I feel like I am not doing enough to count for something. Yes I preach and I teach, but is that enough. I am praying that the Lord will shake things up a bit. What storm or seasonal change is on it's way to me? I love being a missionary, but there are times when it has become to "normal" for me. I feel like I should be living a bit more on the edge, but my flesh would prefer being comfortable. I know that God can and will reveal His will for my life. I guess, as I see the leaves falling and the first dusting of snow, I wonder if I am slipping into my own winter of sorts. But winter means heavy socks and clothes. It means warming up after venturing out in the world and it means that there is a spring coming. A time of new growth and renewal. I look forward to God's refreshing and restoration. I look forward to seeing and experiencing what God is going to do.
Blessings
Alan
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Blogathon Day Three
Today was a kind of grey day. There was a bit of snow falling and the temp is hovering around freezing. No snow stuck, but it was a reminder of the colder weather coming our way.
Most of my day was spent preparing for and having my Russian lesson. I am please to report that my teacher thinks I am doing well, even if I am having trouble remembering key words in my sentences. The past three weeks dealt with covering how to talk about family; marriages, births, who is older who is younger. Who is married to who and when. It will make personal life discussions so much easier. I just have to get those talking to me to talk slowly :D.
My poor sweetie as a terrible headache and is down for the count for now. I have laid hands on her and prayed and am believing for a healing.
Emily made us Chicken soup and chicken salad. That should keep the cold germs at bay.
No profound thoughts today.
I read Psalms 60-67 today. God is an awesome God.
Blessings
Alan
Most of my day was spent preparing for and having my Russian lesson. I am please to report that my teacher thinks I am doing well, even if I am having trouble remembering key words in my sentences. The past three weeks dealt with covering how to talk about family; marriages, births, who is older who is younger. Who is married to who and when. It will make personal life discussions so much easier. I just have to get those talking to me to talk slowly :D.
My poor sweetie as a terrible headache and is down for the count for now. I have laid hands on her and prayed and am believing for a healing.
Emily made us Chicken soup and chicken salad. That should keep the cold germs at bay.
No profound thoughts today.
I read Psalms 60-67 today. God is an awesome God.
Blessings
Alan
Blogathon 2009 Day Two
Today was a quiet day. My wife is off work because the schools are all closed for three weeks. I miss her, cause she is at work so much, but now I get to hang with her. That is a blessing. I reminds me of the first man. God said that it was not good that that man should be alone. I feel incomplete without my dear wife. Especially when I am at home. 22 years of being in the US Navy prepared me to be away from home, but being home without my spouse drives me nuts sometimes.
It was a sunny if cool day today. We have a package waiting for us to pick up from my mother in law; Emily picked up the slip at the post office. Its from the first round of Christmas presents that she is sending us. I cannot imagine how many packages she has sent us. Minimum 2, maximum 4 a month for years! Wow. Tomorrow brings my Russian lesson so I better get busy studying for it.
Blessings from the border land,
Alan
It was a sunny if cool day today. We have a package waiting for us to pick up from my mother in law; Emily picked up the slip at the post office. Its from the first round of Christmas presents that she is sending us. I cannot imagine how many packages she has sent us. Minimum 2, maximum 4 a month for years! Wow. Tomorrow brings my Russian lesson so I better get busy studying for it.
Blessings from the border land,
Alan
Monday, November 2, 2009
Blog-athon Nov 2009 - First post
This will be a short blog, but still it is time to get back on the Band wagon so speak. It has been so long since I have written anything.
So My first blog is... Hey I'm back. Technically this is still the first in America so I have made the first day of November's blogathon. I am alive and well in Kyiv Ukraine. I serve as one of three pastors to a small congregation here in the city. I am learning to put to practice that which I teach. It is challenging, but I continue to stick with it.
Life in Ukraine is interesting, just because I am an American (if born Canadian) living in a former soviet country. But I am glad to be here and to serve.
Today's thought - Flu panic. Everyone here seems to be in a panic about the flu. Schools are closed. The open air markets have been close (or so I have heard) and all public places like theaters and such have been asked to close (to include churches). I don't think I have seen so many people scared by a disease. Usually people react this way to cancer or the news of it. But people are wearing masks and there are few people outside. Who knows, this may work to prevent a pandemic, then again it could just delay the inevitable. I don't WANT to catch the flu, but if I do, I guess I will pray, ask for healing and rest. But I will not live in fear of it. Even if I caught it and died, then I would be with Jesus. That is all I have to say for 1 November
So My first blog is... Hey I'm back. Technically this is still the first in America so I have made the first day of November's blogathon. I am alive and well in Kyiv Ukraine. I serve as one of three pastors to a small congregation here in the city. I am learning to put to practice that which I teach. It is challenging, but I continue to stick with it.
Life in Ukraine is interesting, just because I am an American (if born Canadian) living in a former soviet country. But I am glad to be here and to serve.
Today's thought - Flu panic. Everyone here seems to be in a panic about the flu. Schools are closed. The open air markets have been close (or so I have heard) and all public places like theaters and such have been asked to close (to include churches). I don't think I have seen so many people scared by a disease. Usually people react this way to cancer or the news of it. But people are wearing masks and there are few people outside. Who knows, this may work to prevent a pandemic, then again it could just delay the inevitable. I don't WANT to catch the flu, but if I do, I guess I will pray, ask for healing and rest. But I will not live in fear of it. Even if I caught it and died, then I would be with Jesus. That is all I have to say for 1 November
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Vengeance is mine says the Lord
Today I preached on a passage out of Romans 12, where the Apostle Paul encourages his audience to not take revenge and to trust God to deal with vengeance. My main point was that we don't really trust God on this (and other issues.) We take revenge in all kinds of ways. We refuse to forgive those who wrong us. We feel the need to punish them by reminding them of their failures. We withhold our love. We shame them. It doesn't matter if they are our spouses, our parents, our children, our peers or our bosses. We all to often find ways to take revenge. My own personal favorite is to remind people that they are wrong and I am right; an "I told you so" of sorts.
I got a lot of good feed back from those who where there.
But I failed to give some good "putting things into practice" steps for those who came to listen. So I thought I would make a short list of things that might need addressing in our lives
1. Make a list of those people that you feel the need to correct and point out their sin (short comings).
2. Pray and ask God for forgiveness if you have been motivated by anything other than love (1 Cor. 13 applies).
3. Forgive them for being imperfect;-).
4. Make apologies and reparation where necessary
5. Make a plan to work at blessing others rather than punishing or cursing them
I got a lot of good feed back from those who where there.
But I failed to give some good "putting things into practice" steps for those who came to listen. So I thought I would make a short list of things that might need addressing in our lives
1. Make a list of those people that you feel the need to correct and point out their sin (short comings).
2. Pray and ask God for forgiveness if you have been motivated by anything other than love (1 Cor. 13 applies).
3. Forgive them for being imperfect;-).
4. Make apologies and reparation where necessary
5. Make a plan to work at blessing others rather than punishing or cursing them
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