Road Trip 2015

TURN IT OVER

We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God, therefore, we made direct apologies to all persons we had harmed and we issued forgiveness to all those who have hurt us.  We did this out of happy obedience to our Lord Jesus. We let the word of Christ dwell in us and compel us to do the right thing. For serenity, we chose to live one day at a time,

trusting God to lead us one step at a time, without needing to know specifically how all things will work out. We choose to enjoy one moment at a time and we accept any hardship as our pathway to peace. We chose to follow the example of Jesus, and we take this sinful world as it is, and give up our desire or need for the world and its inhabitants to change. We trust that God will finish the work He began.  Just like we have faith that our guide on 

a tour bus or cruise ship will show us things along our journey, that we may come back refreshed and informed, we NOW choose to trust the Holy Spirit as our guide, and that He will show us God's will and His superior ways. We believe that our position "in Christ" is unshakeable, and that we are covered by His righteousness, therefore, we do NOT need to strive to be righteous. "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, DO NOT worry about tomorrow." Matthew 6:33 - We agree that God is absolutely trustworthy,

and that "The Counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, will teach us all things." John 4:16 - By faith we walk through doors God opens and we listen for His voice.   Our Father, who art in heaven, will never depart from us and He is always working. Because we accepted Jesus as our Lord, He invited us to join Him. We know that without Jesus we can accomplish nothing for the kingdom of God. So we watch to identify what the Lord is doing and we choose to join Him in His work.  Because the Father loves us, He shows us everything we need to know,

on a need to know basis.  "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." Phil 2:13. We understand that our Master, our Lord Jesus works through His servants, and to serve God we must stay as clay in the Potter’s hands. We realize that apart from God we remain as ineffective as a cut off dead branch. We celebrate that God changes hearts, that His word melts resistance, and that God draws us into happy obedience. We choose to “confess our sins to God and to one another so that we can be healed” James 5:16 – We desire to experience God and we ask Him to lead us so that we can be of service for His good purpose. We acknowledge that we cannot stay the way we are and be of any use to God.  IF we are grafted into the Vine, IF we remain attached to the Living Word, and IF we

draw nourishment from the One Source of Truth, we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye! “I am the Vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."John 15:5  We know that we delight to experience God at work in us, and that through our willingness to obey and follow Jesus, God accomplishes His work through us.  God consistently encourages us to be pure in heart and motive. When the Holy Spirit pricks our conscious, we respond by openly examining our ways as we test them against His word. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the alter.  First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."  God desires to hear our confessions and His word

requests that we express our anguish, our sorrow, our hurts to Him and another human being.  “The Lord gave us mind and conscious; we cannot hide from ourselves.” Proverbs 20:27.  When God speaks to us, when God calls us to be honest and depart from our familiar way of denial, for sanity and peace, we must leave our comfort zone and trust God’s unfailing Word and love.  We must whole heartedly believe that God came down to rescue us from the prison of shame and the slavery of guilt.  God sent Jesus to earth to bring the souls of His children out of captivity.  This is our time to make our Exodus 3:8-10.  We happily take off our sandals and kneel, for the place of repentance is holy ground.  God has seen the misery of

His lost daughters and sons. He has heard the cries of their tortured souls and He is concerned.  Exodus 3:2-8.  By faith Moses made major adjustments so that he could join God in what God wanted to accomplish. Moses initially stuttered in a crisis of faith “Who am I, that I should do this? O, Lord, I have never been eloquent, I am slow of speech, please Lord, do not ask this of me.” Moses then chose to obey and do what he was told because he trusted and relied on the spoken word of God and the invisible, yet constant presence of God.  In the name of Jesus we pray, dear God, you know all things, you know our past, present and future use.  In this step of obedience, we ask that You give us the strength and the courage to confess anything that we have done that offends

Thee.  Please help us Lord to identify another kindred spirit, that You shall place in our path, to hear our confession of hurts, habits and anything that hinders our relationship with God Almighty.  AMEN. Having a sponsor or accountability partner is biblical. “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively.  If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone…there is no one to help him.  Two men can resist an attack that would defeat one man alone.” Ecc 4:9-12 GNB – We are all priests and we must discern wisely to whom we choose to confess our short comings.  They must have a growing relationship with Jesus. They must listen and not judge. Do they show compassion and mercy, but not pity? They must share their own struggles and their walk with Christ must match their talk.   A sponsor has completed the 12 steps of recovery and an accountability partner is someone who is currently going through the steps.  “Get rid

of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”   Eph 4:31 and remember this scripture “Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with My victorious hand.” Isaiah 41:10 - It is God's will to do shocking things through His chosen, ordinary people. First God gets us into situations where we MUST trust in His power and plan.  At this point, even Moses, like us experienced a crisis of faith! "is God really able to part the sea or stop the sun?

Will God fulfill His written promises?" Moses was forced to believe that God would do everything He said He would do. This adjustment of belief is just as critical for us as it was for Moses. God will use our weakness to accomplish His will, and He will save us, restore us and use us to witness to others. God's standards are vastly different than the standards of the world, the scholars, and the church as we know it. Reversely, when a follower of Jesus Christ is fully yielded to God, that same person can be overlooked as insignificant according to world standards.  When we feel weak, limited

and ordinary, we must realize, only then can we be molded and used to fulfill God's will through us. "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7  "Go down to the Potter's house, and there I will give My message. So in happy obedience I went to the Potter's house (His Word), and I saw Him working at the wheel.  But the pot He was shaping from the clay was marred in His hands; so the Potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to Him." Applied prayer:  "Your will be done Father, not mine. I am but putty in Your hands" AMEN

American Christian Slaughter

Our freedom of speech, religion and beliefs are what we value most in the USA. Over time, we people have been swayed and easily deceived by the eloquent words of man, over the wisdom of God's Word. Our FAITH in Jesus Christ as our ultimate Lord, Ruler and King will be tested.  Now is the time to pray for our enemies, and ask God to deliver us from evil and give us courage and strength to stand firm as we are persecuted.  It is time to watch for what God is doing, and listen to what the Spirit is saying.  It is time to turn from our ways, and step out of our comfort zone...and take action.  Our actions speak volumnes about our trust in God, and where we seek refuge. Please take the time to listen to this interview between Gordon Robertson and Billy Grahams's son. Rev. Franklin Graham: ‘The Storm Is Coming’ For American Christian Persecution

MIDWIFERY at it's BEST

Nurse Dorothy McCauley was Born in Brighton, England and she has three sisters, Paula, Pat and Helen.  This is a picture of Dorothy today with her grandkids.  Her home town of Brighton is an ancient fishing village which emerged as a health resort in the 18th century and grew into one of the largest towns in England by the 20th century. Historically, the Romans built villas throughout Sussex, including a villa at Brighton.  In a twist of fate, after Nurse Dorothy retired from nursing and teaching for Johnson & Johnson in the USA, in 2011 she traveled to Mexico to visit her sister Paula in Ajijic. She was absolutely enchanted by 

the quaint town that grew along the banks of Lake Chapala. Dorothy quickly chose to build her own villa in Ajijic,  another ancient fishing village that has emerged as an Expat Health Resort in Mexico.  Backing up to her interest in health,  when she was just 16, Dorothy entered the general nursing school at St James hospital and graduated in 1961.  She immediately chose to become a Midwife and entered the esteemed Midwery school at Queen Charlottes hospital in London.  The BBC series “Call the Midwife” is actually filmed on the East side of London where Nurse Dorothy visited young mothers and delivered their babies.

Dorothy worked as a Midwife in the early 1960’s and like in the TV series, she too rode a bike with baby birthing tools, including drugs, plastic sheets, gloves, and masks neatly tucked into a black bag that was strapped to the back of the bike.  Once a doctor diagnosed a woman as pregnant, a midwife was assigned. The Midwife began by evaluating the health of the mother and also the needed preparations in the home.  Midwifery duties required monthly visits to the home for the first seven months, and then twice a week visits for the last two months of pregnancy. Midwifery emphasized building family relationships which included counseling the existing children in how their help would be essential after the newborn arrives.  If the father of the child was not out to sea as a merchant

marine, or working long dock hours, the Midwife was taught that she could not depend on the male income provider to take a work leave for the sake of a newborn.  In those days there was no such thing as sick leave. In England, the firstborn must be brought into the world in a hospital.  After the first delivery is made without complications, the second and following children were delivered at home. Delivering babies on the east end of London in large tenant buildings required logistical planning.   Most of the time there was no hot or cold water in the apartment and the toilets were down long hallways.  The Midwife would need a kettle, and privacy for the birth. If the husband was home, it was his responsibility to take care of any other kids. After 

time spent with the Midwife, the sibling kids were giddy with excitement to assist on the big day.   As there was no home phone, (the Teley was outside the building in the red booth) when labor began in the middle of the night, one child was instructed to call the London Bobby.  It was never appropriate for a Midwife to ride her bike, at night on the East side of London.   The alerted Bobby would ring the Midwife dormitory and arrange to escort the Midwife to the distressed mother. Dorothy recounted one tale of such an early morning birth.  She was driven to the apartment and arrived at 3:30 AM.  The mother was in wretched pain, and the father was at work.  Dad got home about 7:30 AM and began to climb into the only bed

in the apartment, right beside his agonizing wife. Dorothy warned him to get out of the bed, he replied “I have been working hard all night and I need my rest”.  Dorothy demanded “and your wife has been in labor all night too” Dorothy returned to the bedside and tossed a bucket of cold water on the man and he got out of the birthing bed!    Dorothy worked as a Midwife for nearly two years and she recalls many interesting situations.   Midwifes in the early 1960’s were on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week

without extra duty pay or any overtime. Her salary was only $50.00 per month.   In 1964 Dorothy, Linda and Eunice, all three Midwives’s in England, responded to an advertisement for Midwives in San Jose, California for $395.00 per month plus occasional overtime!  As it turns out the USA was not ready for Midwife Dorothy!  She had a one year contract to work in obstetrics as a Midwife; however, she soon learned that she was hired to simply clean up after the babies were born.  She informed doctors of her medical findings for expectant mothers on the phone,

and before the doctors got out of bed, on three seperate occasions, Nurse Dorothy had delivered three babies!  This had never been done, nor was it appreciated! It turns out the AD Dorothy had responded to was simply a publicity stunt for a new California hospital to have on staff three English trained Midwives. These three bold and courageous women still remain in contact to this day.  Linda now lives in San Francisco and Eunice moved back to England.  Dorothy lives in Ajijic, but she is not retired.  She works as a Nurse at a local orphanage for disabled children and at Casita Montana.  Local doctors consult with her and she still gives public lectures on the problems and solutions for diabetics.  Her humor and Brit wit is a pure delight and she can be found walking her beloved dog “Bonita” along the Malecon in Ajijic.  This story had to be written to honor the sweet care

that Nurse Dorothy continues to administer! Thank you Duchess Dorothy for your 40 years of sacrificial service, your generous heart and tremendous wit! Your husband is blessed to have you by his side and yours truly "Bonita" is certainly the luckiest dog that walks the cobblestones of Lakeside!  After all these years you remain professionally passionate and humbly enthusiastic about profividing great healthcare! Truly, I look forward to some delightful Red Hat luncheons and more laughs! Thank you for being so transparent and sharing your amazing story!   I am simply one genuinely greatful patient that respects your long and wonderful journey! Happy Valentines Day 2015 and the surprise visit from your sister Helen! 

"You've come a long way Nurse Dorothy!"

Counting Blessings in 2014

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Smoking Hot

One year ago today, January 2, 2015 Mike and Barb arrived in Mexico. What a fantastic adventure it has been to move to a new culture, community, country and church!!! Today we celebrate our first year in Mexico with a BBQ in our lushly green patio. Mike was surprised and delighted by his 2014 Christmas gift. A stainless steel grill that is fed fuel from our gas supply tank on the roof! Our Char Broil TRU Infrared gas grill heats up to a smoking hot 700 degrees. Infared energy is comprised of those frequencies beyond visible light. Traditional grills heat with hot air which drys out meats. The Infared energy strikes the food and causes the

molecules to vibrate, and cook meats quickly. Infared is the technology that fine restaurants have used for years. As per directions, we seasoned our grill grates, like a cast iron skillet, this optimized our grills performance. Brushing the meat and grates with peanut oil, we sizzled up a couple of thick pork chops in just 6 minutes!! We enjoyed juicy delicious chops lightly topped with a brush of apple-cinnamon jam, served with garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, and a fresh avacadoe. 2015 will be especially tasty and wonder filled as we now have all our construction projects completed. In 2014 we installed a water purifier system, new wiring, a fireplace, a screened in patio, got the waterfall working, landscaped the front and back patio areas, painted interior and exterior, purchased a new car and established ourselves with a local doctor and dentist as Permanent Residents in Jalisco, Mexico.

DELIGHTED to LAUGH

1. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. PRV 31:25
2. Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” G 17:17
3. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” G 18:12
4. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. JOB 8:21
5. A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance  ECC 3:4
6. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. LUKE 6:21

7.      “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand, unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them. She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;  she cares not that her labor was in vain, for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense.

Yet when she spreads her feathers to run, she laughs at horse and rider. “Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? Do you make it leap like a locust, striking terror with its proud snorting?  It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength, and charges into the fray. It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; it does not shy away from the sword. JOB 39  ~ Just as fathers and mothers delight in the laughter of their kids, so does our Father, our Lord Jesus delight in our laughter! A cheerful dispostion

is great for your health. “ A cheerful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 ~ The news of gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.  Laughter and giggling at myself, or with others lifts my spirit and gives my Father pleasure.  Share an embarassing moment with someone, rejoice in what strikes you funny!  You know what I am talking about, those times when hilarity got you snorting and unable to speak without bursting into tears.  JOY comes in the morning, the evening, or anytime during the day, if you allow it!  During your next laugh fest, talk to God and give Him thanks for your funny bone!  God has a sense of humor,  He created us with the ability to laugh in situations that might cause the lost to worry or cry. WHY, because we have HOPE in the One who is unseen, and in the future He promised.  Laughter is good medicine for the soul, cuz the Holy living Word of God says so!  

Oh wonderful  Father, I thank You for laughter, Joy, and Peace. Thank You Lord for creating us to laugh that we can be refreshed in the midst of difficult times. (Psalm 30:5 ) For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning!”  Lord my goal is to delight in You and give You great pleasure, in my obedience to LAUGH more and worry less!  If I could see myself as You see me, I certainly would lighten up and LAUGH at the days to come!  Thank You for filling us with Your Joy, and I ask that it overflows into the lives of those You bring into my space!  Lord let our laughter be an encouragement to all! In Jesus name I pray, Amen