Surprise!

A few weeks ago we received a phone call from someone at Amber's dad's church. They called to see if we would be willing to fly out to WI for Thanksgiving to surprise Amber's parents. Since I'm currently able to work from anywhere we decided to go for it. It was difficult to keep the secret from her entire family but we were successful in the mission.

On our way to the airport Monday we got a flat tire. We were pretty much in the middle of nowhere. To make a long story shorter... All the nuts came right off the tire easily, the Jeep fell off the jack, though in the middle of nowhere we stopped in front of a crane company who had a floor hydraulic jack as well as compressed air to firm up the full size spare that we had.

As we pulled away after pumping up all the tires and saying thanks I was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward God for watching over us. It was AWESOME!

Then after several hours of travel, layovers and delays, Monday night we were picked up from the airport and about an hour and a half late we showed up at their door. They were expecting a package to be dropped off from someone in their church and we showed up at their door. Amber's mom Ann was in tears and it was a lot of fun. Now we've pulled off this stunt twice. A few years back prior to moving here we surprised them in a similar fashion.

Now the family is preparing everything for Thanksgiving and last night we were all able to celebrate Charis' first birthday together. We're looking forward to a long weekend and time with family.

To Drink, or Not to Drink...

That. That is the question of this post. So, I'm in a place in life where I'm walking through another potential metamorphosis. Growing up I felt very strongly about abstaining from alcohol. My mom had shared stories about her father who drank a lot and I knew of school mates who did not make it through alcohol related auto accidents. In fact, I got very upset at a girlfriend who had hidden her underage drinking from me because she knew how strongly I felt about it.

Then, I turned 21. Still feeling very strong about alcoholic consumption someone else ordered me my first drink. I have never been drunk, though there were times when I drank more than I should have.

As I grew older and began to make decisions for myself that I thought were based not merely on opinion but my understanding of what the Bible teaches. Being that Jesus first miracle was turning water into wine and Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his ailments I did not stop my consumption. The flip side of this argument was that I knew I should not lead a brother astray. With that in mind I was careful to watch not only quantity but location and company. I tried to be very careful who I consumed alcohol near. On top of this I made a decision that I should never drink alone.

Having chosen to complete my graduate education at an institution that requests me to live by a certain standard I have chosen to live by that standard and not consume alcohol while enrolled in classes. This is where the transformation, or potential metamorphosis, begins to take place.

In August 2007 I was commissioned as a USAF Chaplain Candidate. As I think toward the future and the type of influence I wish to have I am debating abstaining from the consumption of alcohol altogether. This thought is mostly due to the thinking that my testimony is more important than my personal desires. You see, I enjoy a nice glass of wine, a good beer, a smooth whiskey on the rocks or even a gin and tonic. Now don't go thinking I'm some sort of lush as I haven't had a drink in quite some time. Perhaps that's what you were reading into the previous sentence...

All of that to say that I'm in a decision making process that is very important to me and ultimately I want to make this decision not because I feel I have to but because I want to. This is a choice that I can substantiate with scripture to support both stances. While I'm not currently drinking alcohol, the final verdict is still out... though I'm leaning toward abstinence.

(Photo, of corks above, taken while visiting family with a Canon A95 and manipulated with Picasa2)