Broken water

As time rolls by, without discrimination, some things are built up through hard work and labor while other things corrode and fade away through fatigue and neglect. One of the things that corroded away early this morning, was the water main to our housing unit! So, we are off to spend our nights in the lodging facility on base, free of charge, due to the unnecessary inconvenience. Hopefully we won't be there too long, but it should be fun regardless. I've got to go pack the van, so God Bless!

Rappell tower of life

Welcome visitors from my Old Testament class! Today, I learned the ropes - literally! I spent the day on the ropes course here at my job so that I can be a successful facilitator when my first students show up. There's something about climbing four flights of stairs to the top of an open-air tower that adds about 150 lbs to your weight! By the time I got the top of the tower the first time, I had tons of emotion and fear setting in. I won't spoil the tasks of the course for any potential trainees out there who may read this, but understand that the first one was not easy at all for me. However, it was necessary. Matthew's Gospel reads: "Come," [Jesus] said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" (NIV, Mt 14:29-30) I have an inkling of an idea of how Peter felt - though I was harnassed to aircraft-grade cable and my footing was a lot more sure than his. It reminded me of Christianity and a song by Third Day, "Wire". Christ compares it to a camel walking through the eye of a needle as well as a narrow path that we must not stray from. However, just like today, if we stray, left or right, there is a safety harness there - God's forgiveness. It may not be a pleasant experience, but it is a second chance. By the end of the day, I had rappelled a 40' vertical drop, five times and set my own lines for the journey down twice. Not a bad way to spend a brisk wednesday in Alabama!

Visitors from the north

On New Year's Day, we hosted a group of some amazing young men and women. These were Airmen and former Airmen, who (in addition to dedicating their lives to their nation's defense) attended the Urbana Missions Conference amidst heavy pressure from work and peers. In addition to this display of faith commitment and heart for others, they took personal leave time to assist the continued efforts in the Gulf Coast region in the rebuilding process. Talk about self-sacrifice! At my beckoning, they stopped over for an extremely short 2 hours to take a minute and be served themselves by my wife and to answer our questions about their journey. It was so wonderful that they stopped and even more wonderful to see that God was indeed moving in their hearts. Please pray for them as well as the other 21,000 who attended this conference as they seek His will in sharing the Good News.

Georgia Tech blues

Happy New Year! A couple weeks, some tornado warnings, visits from friends near and far, and the season premier of "The Apprentice" later, and I'm back to blog. Some sad news first, Georgia Tech lost to West Virginia in the Toyota Gator Bowl. Some good news though, it looks like Taylor Bennett just might work out as a great q'back. I don't really know a ton about football, but I know that they broke more records in that game (though they lost) than they've done in a long time. I also know that Tech needs a break - and he may be the one who delivers it. They haven't won an ACC Championship since 1998 and they are certainly due for a change. Sure, they've been winning games and getting to bowls, but they are having trouble closing the big game. UGA, Wake, and West Virginia were all completely beatable teams and Tech was in a winnable situation during all of those games - yet, they didn't make it happen. I know how much work goes into a class act football team and I know that Chan Gailey is running a class act program. I believe that it comes down to the attitude of the fans and the attitude of the players at the end of the day. I wish the best to Coach Gailey and his crew as they start the long preparation for next season.

New Blog to ring in a New Year

You may notice a change to our site. Yes, the old entries are gone. The new entries are forthcoming. As I sit in the basement of my in-law's home, I'm reminded of what a year it has been for us. Besides a major move from the country's coldest/most dry state to arguably the most humid/hottest state, we shared pain and loss with several close friends, joy and surprise with others, purchased our first minivan, faced a monumental task at home in raising a three year old and at work in navigating a basewide inspection, and of course, defeating financial debt once and for all in our home. 2006 has been one for the books in this family. Just like this website, the year has brought on changes and 2007 promises just as many challenges and joys. Please drop us a line and let us know how you and your family are doing. I'll log on again and describe the three days of Christmas as well as our plans for this site over the years once we get settled back in to our new home in Alabama. Until then, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and may God bless you and your family now and forever!


May His wonders never cease!

Welcome to Montgomery, Alabama

Well, we are here at our new duty location in lovely, Montgomery, Alabama! Yes, it's hot. Yes, we got a ton of rain the last day or so. No, we don't have a house yet, though we will be accepting one on Monday. Yes, you can still call us on our cell phone. No, the room we are staying in is NOT big enough! Yes, all of our stuff is still loaded on the boat and in our cars, however that will change once we move in. I went to my office and started my "House-hunting" leave, so I technically don't have to be at work for about a week. However, that does not mean that I didn't spend most of today in uniform getting situated with finance and the clinic. Hopefully we will get paid soon for the move. We have already started planning the decorating of our home. We are trying to do a good job, for once, of getting wallpaper and painting out of the way before we actually start putting our furniture in place - please pray for us as we attempt to do this! I had a great time in GA with my family and got to see almost everyone. The highlight was easily spending a couple hours sailing on a Catalina 250 with my dad on Lake Lanier. I can't wait to get my boat ready for the spring! I hope everyone is doing well! God Bless you all! - David

Boundary Waters with my sibs

10/11/06 - 8 Days in the wilderness and 36-hours later, I'm back at my parent's house in Gainesville, GA. Rachel and the kids are still visiting with her grandparents and we should be meeting up again this weekend to make the final push, as a family, to our new home. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) was unbelievable! We truly "roughed it" for the entire time. I think we saw about 5 other canoes the entire time out and experienced black bears on our island, wolves howling through the night, beavers, otters, and all sorts of weather! At times, we were forced to make landfall much earlier than planned and wait out winds that caused two-foot waves in lakes that are normally completely placid. It was well worth the journey, and we all learned a lot and had a great time! I've included a few pics from the trip to the right. They hardly do justice to the grandeur of this somewhat obscure wilderness area. God Bless you all! - David

BWCAW - here we come!

10/2/06 - Today we leave for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We are outfitted, packed, and ready to go. . . we hope. The food here is awesome and we shared a little discussion about skipping the canoeing and just sitting around Ely and eating the whole time. . . You know, take a few pics on the water to prove our trip and then spend the rest of the time in the great eateries around here. This morning was a stuffed hashbrown - really something you need to someday experience! Rachel and the kids are about to move out of the cabin and back into the Rensch's house for their last few days in Rapid. Please pray for all of us as we continue in our separate paths - utimately meeting up again in a couple weeks. The weather is awesome and we are all ready for an adventure. I'm looking forward to sharing it once we get back. God Bless you all! - David