On the Road Again

Sunday, April 26, 2009, Pastor "Big" Jim Salles and my church family at West End Baptist Church, Beaumont, TX, presented me with a love offering to help with gas on my missions trip to Alaska.

After prayer, we enjoyed a pot-luck dinner.

My itinerary includes visits with friends in Paris, TX, and Antlers, OK. then a stop in Yellowstone NP before meeting up with fellow volunteers, Lynne and Dale Martin in Great Falls, Montana.

From there we will caravan through Canada and the Yukon.

While at Camp Baldwin, Delta Junction, AK, I will be joining short term Campers on Mission volunteers to provide maintaince, cook, teach crafts, and do other custodial chores. Lynne and Dale are camp directors. I'm just a general go-fer assistant.

As I travel, I follow the Roman Road that I'm sharing below:

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

All means you and me.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. The consequences of unbelief is death, but

"...God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." John 3:16a

"But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.

God provided a substitute, Jesus, who died for our sins.

"...that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16b




"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

"For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation." Romans 10:10.

"For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13

Dear Lord,

I admit that I have sinned and need your forgiveness. I now turn from my sins to folow You. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and that He came back to life after three days. I invite You to come into my heart and life. I confessYou as my Savior and Lord.

Thank You for Your love and the gift of eternal life.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Expect to be Empowered!

A Venture in Faith Texas to Alaska, A Road Trip to Recovery, my first contemporary Christian novel has been released by Publications Consultants, Anchorage, Alaska.

Writing non-fiction was a challenge, but after four published books creating fiction has been, and is, a demanding and stimulating undertaking.

Excerpt from the back cover:

"Stalked by her abusive ex-husband and in fear for her life, Leah Gray plans an escape. Leah's faith in God and in humanity shatters when she is forced out of her comfort zone. She secretly purchases a used motor home as a mobile hide-out and prepares to pursue a search for a meaningful life.

Intrigued by her father's stories of building the Alaska Highway, Leah determined to flee into the Alaska wilderness. On her road trip from Texas to Alaska she encounters empowering women who encourage her on her road to self discovery. Leah's fear of men intensifies when she is forced to trust Barrett, an Alaskan mountain man. Can Leah stop running and find healing and love, and return to her faith in God?"

For intrigue, romance and an Alaskan experience, A Venture in Faith is a read that is hard to put down. Available at local bookstores, Amazon.com and from the author.

Follow my blog as I travel back to Alaska for book signings, and to volunteer.

Way to Go, Chelsea!

Chelsea is my 14 year old grand daughter. She won an all most all expense paid scholorship to participate in the i-sweeep science fair in Houston. I-SWEEEP, the International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering, and Environmental Project Olympiad is the largest science fair of its kind in the world.
I went along as Chelsea's supervisor and chaperone.
Chelsea flew from Orlando, Florida, by herself. Here she is exiting the gate tunnel calling her mom, my daughter, Colleen, to let her know she landed safely.

Chelsea's first chore was to unpack her project board and notebooks, and to set up her display.

Chelsea and I met with over 600 students from around the world, from 60 nations and from 40 states. These girls are from Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany, and France.

On the first night welcoming event, students paraded with flags of their respective countries, through the large auditorium and packed the stage.

Chelsea standing by the large poster welcoming students to the George R. Brown Convention Center.

This photo is a partial view of more than 600 project displays on the floor of the convention center.

Students were treated to a field trip to the Museum of Natural Science, the I-Max and the Planetarium.



And to NASA. Here Chelsea is with a new friend, Piper, from Austin, TX

On Awards Night, Chelsea won an Honorable Mention and $100 for her environmental project in the junior category. She is the tiny white spot between the two men left of center. Proud grandma couldn't get closer to the stage!

With a big grin, Chelsea shows off her certificate.

Way to Go Girl!

To learn more about isweeep, go to www.isweeep.com.

Art in the Park

Sat. March 28th was the annual Art in the Park in beautiful downtown Orange. The skys were clear. The temp in the very low 40s with high gusty winds and a chill facter that felt like zero. Mother helped man my book booth until the cold and wind forced her inside. The wind blew several tents over.



The young ladies below took shelter in empty Waste Management boxes.



A Barbershop Quartet braved the cold to doff their jackets and sing for us.

Due to the weather the shopping crowds were thin. The beautiful Stark Mansion and other historical building added to the fun.

With paintings, sculpture and jewelry, as well as a variety of other crafts, I heard that there was only one other author on the opposite side of the park. Is reading becoming an eccentricity?

Interrupted narative is common: ie TV movies rudely split by commercials. Has the silicon chip interfeared with our ability to consentrate on reading? iPods, BlackBerrys, and email slang has broken narrative into shorter and cruder sequences. Can our brain endure sustained reading?

I, and all writers, certainly hope so.