Lifesavers & Rodeo Clowns

    Ok, so you probably think of either candy or the white rings & red stripes when I mention lifesavers... but rodeo clowns??

  Sometimes the candy can be a life saver - like for a job interview if you have bad breath - but when is a real life saver used? When someone is overboard a ship & needs to be rescued. Did that person want to be the center of a rescue? Probably not. Chances are something knocked them off the deck, or the ship got into trouble & the Coast Guard is rescuing them.  A life saver is something for people to hold onto when nothing else is there. Life can be desperate at times. There are other lifesavers, too...

  Enter into a dusty ring, you step onto the boards, above the crowd. Noise is unbelievable, but so is your heartbeat.  Got all your gear? Gloves? "Your" rope? Stretch the twinges out, stretch one foot four feet away from the other one. Have you been preparing your hands enough? Now, step into the stirrups, tighten the rope around your hand just so. Don't think about just getting shoved into the fence & your leg is screaming, just make sure your grip is good. Ready? Hang on..... the chute opens...and you are now being thrown around by the craziest bull in the arena. Is it enough? Oh no! Spur him on, get him to buck higher....and you have just flown into the dirt with the pounding of enormous hooves near your head - get up! Run! Get this mad beast away from you as he chases you anyway he can. Ooh, that horn was too close, and then...  the bull's away.    
   Thanks to a rodeo clown - your life saver.

   We prepare for life, thanks to our parents, school, training. Then we are out of the chute, hopefully roped up right for the crazy ride we have planned. Or we are on board a smooth sailing ship with plans that don't have any excitement built in. We planned..... but life will throw curves that were unplanned. Sometimes we are dumped off the ship, or the bull decides you just need to be rubbed off him along that cement wall right there so he can get rid of you. Or, something else just happens that neither you or anyone else were counting on... life can be dangerous and exciting, tough and sweet, endlessly hanging on, or wondering if this life is all there is..... then enters the rescue crew.  Putting their lives on the line, smack in the face of danger, just for YOU to get to safety. Whether it be flinging themselves out of a perfectly good helicopter, or off a ship, or the clowns will do nearly anything they can to keep the riders from getting trampled, including getting trampled themselves, gored, flung, diving over or scrambling under fences, hiding in a barrel... just for you, the rider.

   There are many rodeo clowns and lifesavers around you right now - people who are putting their lives on the line to keep you safe - police, fire staff, military, your secretary, your boss, fellow workers, prayer warriors for you, literal angels, friends, road workers, inspector #14.....  But have you considered that there are also those in the stands who want to direct you to the only way?  They are praying for you to make great choices. Maybe you will be a bull riding champion. Maybe you were supposed to choose a different way & now you are given a way out.  Jesus Christ is your way out of this life you are in that keeps trying to kill you. He willingly gave His sinless life for your sinful one so God can look through Christ's blood on you and welcome you into His kingdom.  There is NOTHING we as mere mortals can do to be acceptable for heaven. Only one way works. The sacrifice of one who never sinned, ever... to be the one crucified in our place.  Christ took on death for everyone, but few choose to believe that it really, truly could be for them. It is - choose right now!  While it only takes a moment, you could be safely over the fence.... because a bull is on its way to your backside.......                                                                                                

So, Is he a thug? Are we safe?

Embarking on a train in Zagreb, Croatia, we were trying to find a seat... aha! A seat for two! As I open the door to the compartment, I look at our compartment-mate & I freeze.....

"Is he a thug? Are we safe?" Well, we are in the Lord's hands. This is the only spot open, so we place our luggage in the overhead racks & sit across from our new neighbor. I try to observe him as we get underway... brilliant red and white Puma tracksuit (obviously, screamingly new) with an enormous puma embroidered on it, shaved head, mean disposition - or was it just distant? Hard to tell from a face that has seen too much. Mafioso? No, he would have is own car, unless he is low on the totem pole. He looks over at me, I smile. His look freezes any confidence I tried to muster up. I look out the window at the landscape flowing by & start praying.

After a while, I am still thinking God wants us to communicate with a non-communicator tough guy. I don't know the language. I pray some more & look around the compartment, and then I saw "it"... a duffel bag. Ok, Lord, what's with the duffel bag? It is just a normal one like our boys (both currently deployed) have - that's it! It is camo! From what our friends in Europe have told us, camo isn't touted...  I recall a conversation I had with our son in Afghanistan & being on a NATO base - he & friends had fun going to the commissaries of the different countries & seeing what was for sale: French- pastries; German- weapons;  British - useful stuff ... anyway, he would say that the other units loved getting clothes at the Canadian commissary. Ah, so that is where the Puma tracksuit came from? Must have literally cost him a fortune. He's coming home after war in a modern tracksuit to treat himself. Is he wondering if anyone is left or will welcome him? How many changes will he need to adapt to? Ok, I have to know & maybe this is an in to let him know about Jesus caring for Him?

 I say, "Afghanistan?"  Our compartment-mate jumped as if shocked by electricity. I point to the duffel bag & say again, "Afghanistan?" He nods, cautiously, carefully, wary, sorrowfully - all in one move that is so slight unless you were looking, you wouldn't have seen it. I pull out my picture of our two sons in war right then  and I point to one & say, "Iraq" then to the other & say, "Afghanistan".  Then to both of them and to Kurt & I. He understands and the heavens opened! He smiled, nodding & you could almost hear him thinking, "Oh, someone knows & has an idea what I have been through!"  So the tough-guy outside is from one who has seen too much war, death.

We were getting close to our stop & as we stood up to look at what was coming up, our compartment-mate held out his hand to look at our tickets. He looked at us, & held up two fingers. Two more stops. I smiled and nodded & pointed up, put my hands together & pointed to him. He smiled, encouraged.  We even shook hands when it was time to get out.  God is  good - all the time!

Fill the Gap!

Praise the Lord!! Our support is growing, thanks to many of you!! We are now at 25% monthly support - just 25% more and we can do more training:)

Shazam! We're getting "technified"!

Hi, welcome to our first post!