Life is an adventure
There are two books that really make an incredible illustration of the Christian life. One is Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and the other is Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard, the latter one I am almost finished. Hear is a quote from a recent reading:
"Always go forward along the path of obedience as far as you know it until I intervene, even if it seem to be leading you where you fear I could never mean you to go."
Shepherd to Much Afraid

This is Worlds End very close to where we will be living.
I will do my best to blog sometime after we arrive in Massachusetts. Pax Vobiscum, CM

Cigarettes to Cellphones


Driving around Charlottesville you see so many people out walking and talking on their cell phones. Just yesterday 3 girls about to cross the street each on their phones. Not too long ago all three may have been smoking cigarettes and talking to each other while waiting to cross he street.

Just observing. CM

Constitution Day (September 17th)
220 year ago in the year of our Lord 1787 the Constitution of the United States of America was signed by the architecture of this living and breathing document.

Clear skies, the air with a hint of autumn in it, on the grounds of Montpelier, the home of James Madison, also known as the Father of the Constitution, and front row seats to commemorate this historic occasion.
The atmosphere was almost dead and there was a lack of patriotism within the very small crowd, yet we all, in some way, came to remember. Our nation though very young is still the country who has lived under the same Constitution longer than any other civilized nation in the world.
A very stoic fife and drum corp ushered in the event with Yankee Doodle Dandy and the festivities were underway with James Madison himself addressing the crowd. He spoke with grace and eloquence. As I sat listening, I thought are people really grasping what he is trying to convey? I hope so, I pray that Katie and Michael were taking it to heart.
This is a living and breathing document.
My friend Leslie from Miami alerted me to Michael Farris' using the internet, in the same way the town crier called us to the gathering place at the Temple on the grounds of Montpelier, that now is the time for a constitutional amendment for parental rights (www.parentalrights.org). I urge all those who wish for their children and grandchildren to be able to raise their families the way they see fit to join this cause. And for all Americans who may be reading this blog that they would pick up a copy of the Constitution and get to know that this parchment is not just a piece of paper on display at the National Archives but the law of the land.
As a family we have exercised our liberty freely by living like pilgrims (we have of course but described otherwise but this is the name that suits us) and hopefully we have inspired others to exercise their freedoms as well.
If you didn't have a chance to stop and reflect on Constitution Day and perhaps read it, then I strongly encourage you to take the time now and do it.
Pax,
CM

There is no shame in adversity

"We cannot learn without pain."
— Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384-322 B.C.)

"Trials, temptations, disappointments -- all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fiber of character but strengthen it. Every conquering temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before." James Buckham

Getting off the phone with my brother, I realize that there are things that will still share and one of them is growing up with the shame of adversity. Instead of it being a touchstone of growth, adversity is something that we ought to be ashamed of and if we choose to speak about it at all, it is in a low whisper. My brother spoke to me in this low whisper and then quickly went on to other things, no time for me to respond and it hit me as I got off the phone - shame. Mistakes and things not going our way are as bad as purposefully doing something wrong. This attitude blocks an opportunity for a change and personal growth.
Coming to an understanding of adversity becoming an asset has been and continues to be one of the most difficult lessons to learn for me personally. It is a clear illustration of my perfectionist tendencies. It is an opportunity to learn and to bring about greater character in ourselves and our children.
It does not have to be anything big. Like a lot of things we instill principles into our children by the way we deal with the smaller incidences in life. It is those everyday things that prepare us for the bigger difficulties we will face.
The shame of adversity is a terrible lie. Wise men and women of the past demonstrate to us, that they indeed would go through everything they have gone through to get to the place where they are now. Many have gone on to glory where there is no more pain or sorrow and they live in the Presence of God the Father glorious. That thought helps me keep an eternal perspective.
One of the fruit of going through adversity is humility. I do not believe humility is something we can forge in ourselves but one that the Lord uses our circumstances and relationships to shape us and mold us more into the image of His Son.
I am grateful for this ongoing lesson. And a shout out to my brother Pete, hoping he will be open to learning from it too.
Pax, CM

Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. [Isaiah 48:10]

September the 11th

Indeed, I remember where I was. It was a beautiful day in the Northeast. My family was living in Marlborough, MA at the time. We were waiting with our children for Grandy to come and pick them up for their trip into Boston. Many Americans were glued to their TV sets with their children watching along side them for most of that day. Lingering emotion of our family being distracted that day of destruction, the kids into Boston which in itself became a ghost town with my dad and Dan and I out on a golf course with 2 police men. The vivid images shown again and again for weeks and months following would be plentiful, then the war on terror and now the annual anniversary.
This morning on NPR Michael Chertoff when asked about 9/11 and our current security status said "we are safer today but we are not safe."
My aunt in an email said in her reflections after attending a 9/11 memorial service this morning out of the depths of our sadness is "our" desire for peace.
An army officer who enlisted after 9/11 spoke of his desire for revenge and that is what motivated him to join in the fight.
In a song Jon Forman says, "nothing is OK til the world caves in"
So I say,
"When were we ever safe?
Was it a false sense of security?
Has our world ever known peace?
Who says we deserve it?
Safety is a bad value.
Security is for the control freaks.
Peace on earth is like gravity on the Moon.
I'm an American so I think I deserve all good things
but my role in the Kingdom does away with all entitlements.
We long for peace and we fight for freedom and we die for liberty but I must ask,
For who's Glory?
and will it last?
does freedom come to those who wait?
if our hearts are ready and been made new, will peace find a home there?
Will the wars ever end?
Do you think we could meet in the eye of the storm?
Have you found that place inside that no one and no thing can touch even if your own world is in utter chaos, hijacked or grounded?

All Roads lead to Boston




Well, not all but potentially you could eventually end up there. We are heading back to the greater Boston area if only for a short time. Dan will probably have a little bit of a commute as it looks like we will be living on the south shore.








We are looking forward to seeing friends and relatives. One of our dear friends is a self employed electrician, Steve Gray. I have added his information to my side bar, well because I can, plus Steve is a great guy and an excellent electrician. If you are in eastern Massachusetts and need electrical work done or know someone who does please feel free to contact him. Although, we will not be in the same town as Steve and his family, I can't wait to see them.