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Dan and Sarah wanted us to come to Baltimore for a couple of days of the Ravens Training Camp. Actually, the training camp is at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD about a 30 minute drive from where Dan and Sarah live. So, we did. Unfortunately, the day before we arrived Dan sprained his foot and is now going to be out for about 3 to 4 weeks of the preseason. Please keep them in your prayers. The pictures in the side bar on the left are from the training camp. Enjoy!
I thought you might like an update on my football playing son-in-law Dan Cody. This article was in the Baltimore paper. Click on the link to read the full story. Dan's Story
A little over a week ago I had an experience that I call a "God moment." When Bev and I got on the plane in Beijing to come home, I had an aisle seat and Bev had a window seat. A Chinese man came and sat between us and his wife was in the row in front of us. I traded seats with the man and now he was sitting in the aisle seat. He traded with a young Chinese lady in the row in front of us, and now she sat in our row in the aisle set. He was now setting with his wife. Wow. There was a lot of trading seats going on that day. We started settling in for the long flight home through Chicago.
Several years ago the Chinese government mandated that all Chinese students beginning in the fourth grade learn English. China is now the largest English speaking country in the world. This lady sitting with us in the aisle seat could speak marginal English and we started getting acquainted. She told us that she was flying to Miami, Florida to start work on a cruise ship called the Majesty of the Seas as a waitress. It was a six month contract and they had purchased her plane ticket for the trip. She in turn would pay the cruise line back from her earnings as a waitress for the ticket. Her hope was to earn enough money to buy her parents a home in her hometown. She had never been out of the country and had only been to Beijing once before. She knew no one in the US. The US would only give her a three day visa to make the trip through the US to Miami and onto the ship. Once on the ship she was pretty much confined to that ship without a travel visa.
Needless to say, Bev and I were greatly concerned for this young ladies wellbeing. We both have heard horror stories about cruise ships. We know some people who have worked on cruise ships that have had awful experiences. The thought that came to my mind was one of "indentured servitude." We traded email addresses and phone numbers. We told Ling that she could call or write us any time if she needed help. She asked Bev why we would care so much about her. We told her that we have two daughters. Both of our daughters have lived outside of the US and we know what it feels like to have a loved one so far away.
I guess that my contact with Ling and knowing her story was very unsettling for me. About a week ago, and I don't know if this happened in a dream or what, but I vaguely remember praying for Ling in the middle of the night. I remember asking God to protect her and keep her safe. For several days after we got home, I struggled with that horrible thing called "jet lag." That is a condition were you feel like sleeping during the day and you can't sleep at night. You lay in bed tossing and turning until you get up. Someone recently told me that it takes a day to recover for every time zone that you cross. We crossed 13 time zones!
It was a Sunday night or I guess early Monday morning. I had several meetings the next day and during a Monday luncheon meeting I get a call on my cell phone. It was Ling. She called to tell me that she was OK. She said that the work was hard and long but she was OK. In that moment and I can't fully explain it, I felt the Holy Spirit. I told the story to the person I was having lunch with and he sat there with a stunned look on his face. We both knew that what I had just experienced was a "God moment." There is a line from an old William Cowper hymn that says, "God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform." Praise God He does!
A year ago this time we were scrambling. One year ago tomorrow is Asher's birthday. That is the day I became "Pops" and Bev became "Bebe." Now you know when Asher begins to talk those names may change. But for now it is Pops and Bebe. Kali and Scott are expecting again and we are going to be grandparents of another baby boy in September! PTL! Wow. Maybe one of these days they will move from Charleston back to Oklahoma and we can really spoil them. Whether they move or not, he is a blessing.
In 1975 there was a Catholic priest named Fr. Tom Hensler who invited 3 Methodist clergy to attend a Catholic Cursillo in Peoria, Ill. Out of that invitation has emerged the Methodist Walk to Emmaus. Fr. Tom was on the first walk that I was involved with in HK and he was on the same flight from Chicago to Hong Kong. He is a blessed man full of the presence of Jesus Christ. It was a real joy and surprise being able to spend some of that time with Fr. Tom.
'Twas the Night Before the Big XII
'Twas the night before the Big XII and all through the land,
not a Tiger was stirring, not even the band.
Their Jockeys were hung by the locker with care,
in hopes that the Sooners soon would be there.
Truman was nestled all snug in his bed,
while visions of the BCS danced in his head.
And Pinkel in his kerchief full of Tiger pride,
and Bob and the Sooners ready to ride.
When down in San Antone there arose such a clatter,
Chase sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.
He realized the Option was gone in a flash,
and Maclin's dreams of running had just been dashed.
The Tiger tight ends trembled as they watched the show,
A Crimson and Cream luster set the horizon aglow.
When what to their wondering eyes should they find,
but a miniature Schooner, seven National Titles behind.
With a wizened old driver, skilled in leading his troops,
they knew in a moment it must be Bob Stoops.
More rapid than Temple his players they came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name.
"On Bradford, on Joe John, now Patrick and Murray!
On Chris Brown! On Iglesias! On Hartley and Kelly!
To the top of the conference! To the top of it all!
Now dash their hopes! Dash their dreams! Dash away all!"
And then in a twinkling, the Tigers fought back a scream,
and Chase saw the last of his Heisman trophy dream.
The defense drew in their breath and looked all around,
and realized that their "Pig" was nowhere to be found.
Bob's eyes how they twinkled, his coaches how merry!
As they carried on the legacy left them by Barry.
Gary 's sad little face and a fear in his belly,
he shook on the field as his knees turned to jelly.
Pinkel spoke not a word, and the ball they couldn't carry,
Stoops filled up the scoreboard and then turned to Gary.
And laying his hand on the shoulder of his friend,
he gave Pinkel a nod and said, "Like Norman again."
Bob sprang to the Schooner, to his team gave a shout,
to the BCS they flew and left Mizzou down and out.
And we heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
"Boomer Sooner to All and to All a Good Night!"
(This post was supposed by have been posted Saturday. The post yesterday about the Cherry Tree doesn't make much sense without that little input.) The picture from last Friday's post is the farm house where we come each year for vacation. This is where Bev grew up and that house was moved to the farm in 1960 from town (Alexandria, MN). Before they moved this house to the farm they lived in a house that was built in about 1863 on a homestead that was started by some Swedish immigrants. It was moved to the farm in 1906 by horse, wagon and “stump puller” by Bev’s grandfather on the occasion of his marriage to Gina . 
It was about a half a mile move. The old house had two rooms down and one room up. The other picture is the old barn where Bev’s dad milked cows for over 44 years. He milked twice a day and the first milking was at 4:30 am and the second milking was at 5:30 pm. The cherry trees are added value and were planted after his retirement 1985.
Do you recognize the picture? It’s a picture of “ice trays”. They are emptied and refilled after every meal. We don’t do that much in Edmond. Most of us have “ice makers” that empty and refill automatically. We just go to the frig and get ice. Very convenient! There are a lot of conveniences in our lives but… I still don’t have time to go fishing or pick cherries. (I don’t have a cherry tree but if I did I think that the cherries would probably rot.) Here they do things like fill ice trays and other chores, but they have time or make time to go fishing and pick cherries and strawberry and watch fireworks and eat homemade ice-cream. It is a good thing to periodically get away to “take stock” of our lives. The farm is such a radically different life from the life I live that it gives me perspective about myself and my lifestyle. It is an important point of reference about all the “conveniences” I have in my life or not.
On the farm… no phone, no internet, no cell phone coverage, no cable TV. Sweet! Today is the 4th and we are headed over to some friends who live on Lake Cowdry for a July 4th cookout and fireworks. Not much of an agenda for today. I got up and read the lesson in my Life Journal. I finished reading “Deepening Your Effectiveness” and started reading a new book call “Amazing Grace” by Eric Metaxas.
It is about William Wilberforce and his work to abolish the slave trade. Metaxas says that, “the idea of ending slavery was so completely out of the question at the time that… they focused on the lesser idea of ending slavery… but never dared speak of emancipation.” So complete was Wilberforce’s work that it seems so odd to for us think about the notion of selling human lives. It is a repugnant idea. So complete was his work that we have forgotten those that ended this horrible business in western culture. Wilberforce is one of those forgotten heroes. The slave trade was ended in 1807 in Britain, so this year is the 200th anniversary of that remarkable achievement.
Here is a picture of Bev and our Sister-in-Law, Debra Gilmore.
4th of July FIREWORKS at Lake Ida. They are covered up not because it is cold, but because of the mosquitoes!
I hope you are going to have some time this summer for personal renewal so that you can “recharge” yourself. We are doing that right now. We will be away the first part of July on vacation. I will try to write some new posts while I am away. We are going to the farm in Minnesota as we have done over the past several years. I don’t have internet access on the farm so I will have to write when I can and post when I go to town. Maybe I will be able to post some pictures of a big fish or home made ice cream. Who know?
Take some time for yourself, for vacation but when you are not out of town decided now to be in church. Summer time for church is a slow time and a lot of people are gone. But there are a lot of things that have to continue. People have to be cared for, staff have to be paid, bills have to be delt with and ministry must continue. Some people give to the ministry of the church only when they are present in worship. This can strain our program when people are away on vacation. Your continued support is critical during these summer months. So, don't forget to send in your support.
