Early one Saturday morning, several years ago, I was driving on an unfamiliar hilly road under the light of a full moon. I knew my destination and I had a road map to show me which roads to take. As the temperature dropped, fog began to develop in the low lying areas. on top of the hills the road could be clearly seen. there were road signs, stripes marking the edges, the center line and the no passing zones. The fog in the low lying areas was beautiful as the light of the full moon reflected off of the top of it. As I drove into the low lying ares, fog obscured my way. It was not nearly as beautiful as it seemed from the outside. Looking up, the sky was clear, the full moon was beautiful as it shone, not with it's own light, but with the light that it reflected from the sun. I strained my eyes to see the road. Everything that once marked the way so clearly was still there, but the fog made it hard to see. When the high beams were on, instead of lighting the way, they reflected off of the fog, making it even harder to see the road. Dimming the headlights made it easier to see the road right in front of me, but I could see only a short distance. Turning on the fog lamps helped a little, but still the way was not really clear. The only solution was to proceed very slowly, trying to stay out of danger. Each time I drove out of a low lying area and out of the fog, the way was clear for a little while until I drove back into the fog, repeating the whole process. As the dawn began to break, the temperature dropped, more fog developed, making the way even more dangerous. The headlights seemed help less and I slowed to a crawl. all of a sudden, just when it seemed that I could not go on, the sun burned away the fog and the road was clear.
As I was driving, I believe the Lord showed me that this is an example of how we go through life. The way is often unfamiliar, but we know the destination and the Bible is our road map of how to get there. The way is clearly marked out if we will but follow the signs and markings. There are mountains and valleys that we must go through. Sometimes when we are on a high place, we can look down into the valley, and there is something there that looks very beautiful from the outside, but then sin usually looks attractive, and it can give pleasure for awhile, but very quickly it obscures the way. All of the signs are still there, but our spiritual eyes are dimmed by sin. If we look up the the Lord, even while in the muck and mire of sin, He is still there reaching out to us, shining in the darkness. Trying to do things on our own, is like turning on the headlights. it may help a little, but the way is still not clear. we may come out of the fog of sin for a time if we work real hard and try to do what is right, but if we are doing it with our own strength, back down the hill and into the fog we go again. Then comes a time when we realize that we cannot break out of the fog no matter what we do. The fog just gets thicker and thicker, making life harder and harder. Finally the day comes when we realize that we cannot go on, we invite Jesus into our lives and the Holy Spirit to baptize us with his power. Just like the sun burns away the fog, making the road clear. the Holy Spirit will burn away the spiritual fog that surrounds us when we try to live on our own power.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
God has a plan for you!
I have been feeling like God is prompting me to share this story with friends and family. I think is is especially for the descendants of my parents, Lloyd and Sarah Litwiller, but everyone can be encourage by this story. I may not have all the details correct and if my mom, brothers or sister remember it differently, please let me know.
We lived in an old house on a farm a couple miles west of Delavan, Illinois. I think it was the summer of 1963 we started tearing the old house down, and building a new house. We lived in part of the old house until the new basement was done and moved into the basement where we lived until the summer of 1965.
During supper one evening as will often happen with seven kids, something was spilled and one of my brothers got the mop and cleaned it up. The brooms and mops were stored against the wall behind the furnace. The furnace flue came out the back and went up and out. There was an opening in the bottom of the elbow. When he put the mop away, my brother tried to stand it up against the wall and it kept falling over so he just shoved the head of the mop in the hole in the bottom of the flue pipe so it wouldn't fall over. He was less than 5 years old at the time and of course couldn't know about the danger of carbon monoxide. I have no way of knowing, but it was probably early enough in the fall that the furnace didn't run until during the night.
We all went to bed with no thought of what was about to happen. Dad woke up during the night with a terrible headache, and realized that he smelled fumes from the furnace. I remember Dad coming into our room, waking us up and telling us to get out of the house, and having a bad headache for a couple of days. He told us later that our sister had stopped breathing and he worked with her and got her started breathing again.
Many times I have wondered how much longer it would have taken for the whole family to have been killed by the carbon monoxide gas. I believe the God woke Dad up and made him realize what was going on so our lives would be spared. I can't answer the question of why sometimes tragedies happen and sometimes they don't, but I can testify to the fact that God saved our family for a special purpose. Dad is no longer here on this earth with us, but Mom is and the 7 siblings, their spouses, 24 grandchildren, 5 spouses of grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and one on the way.
The point of my sharing this is to remind all of us that God has a purpose for your life. Know that He loves you and cares about every detail of your life.
We lived in an old house on a farm a couple miles west of Delavan, Illinois. I think it was the summer of 1963 we started tearing the old house down, and building a new house. We lived in part of the old house until the new basement was done and moved into the basement where we lived until the summer of 1965.
During supper one evening as will often happen with seven kids, something was spilled and one of my brothers got the mop and cleaned it up. The brooms and mops were stored against the wall behind the furnace. The furnace flue came out the back and went up and out. There was an opening in the bottom of the elbow. When he put the mop away, my brother tried to stand it up against the wall and it kept falling over so he just shoved the head of the mop in the hole in the bottom of the flue pipe so it wouldn't fall over. He was less than 5 years old at the time and of course couldn't know about the danger of carbon monoxide. I have no way of knowing, but it was probably early enough in the fall that the furnace didn't run until during the night.
We all went to bed with no thought of what was about to happen. Dad woke up during the night with a terrible headache, and realized that he smelled fumes from the furnace. I remember Dad coming into our room, waking us up and telling us to get out of the house, and having a bad headache for a couple of days. He told us later that our sister had stopped breathing and he worked with her and got her started breathing again.
Many times I have wondered how much longer it would have taken for the whole family to have been killed by the carbon monoxide gas. I believe the God woke Dad up and made him realize what was going on so our lives would be spared. I can't answer the question of why sometimes tragedies happen and sometimes they don't, but I can testify to the fact that God saved our family for a special purpose. Dad is no longer here on this earth with us, but Mom is and the 7 siblings, their spouses, 24 grandchildren, 5 spouses of grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and one on the way.
The point of my sharing this is to remind all of us that God has a purpose for your life. Know that He loves you and cares about every detail of your life.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Home from Romania
One final post with details of our vacation in Romania. I will probably have more to say as thoughts come to me later on. We had a wonderful time, but it is also good to be back home in Kansas. I haven't traveled much, but I wouldn't trade the USA for anywhere in the world.
On Saturday, Jane and I visited the Romanian National Art Museum and the National treasures museum. Even though I am not a student of art, it was very interesting to see the collection at the museum. There are several galleries with art from old churches and monasteries, many pieces from the 1500's and 1600's. There are also copies of the Scriptures from that era. It made me realize again the miracle that God's word has been preserved for all these years. There is one wing in the museum for Romanian art, and another for European art. I did see one Rembrandt, and several of the old masters that I have heard of.
The National Treasures museum has a collection of gold, some of which dates back to the 15th century BC. Also some crowns and other pieces from Romanian royalty. I was amazed again at the history we had a chance to view.
Sunday was a day of relaxing most the day, then another meal with Florica's family at her home. What a privilege to spend more time with the family that had such an important part in our adoption process 19 years ago.
Monday it was up at 3:45 am, finish packing everything drive to the airport, then 18 hours of travel time, including waiting between flights. All went smooth until we got to the baggage claim at Wichita Mid Continent. Two of the four bags we checked didn't show up. We picked them up at Chicago and carried them through customs and rechecked them so we knew they were in the US. The lady at the United counter gave us a form to fill out and said they would bring them to our home when they got in, and about 9:30 this morning, they were at our home.
Blessings to all who read this
Phil
On Saturday, Jane and I visited the Romanian National Art Museum and the National treasures museum. Even though I am not a student of art, it was very interesting to see the collection at the museum. There are several galleries with art from old churches and monasteries, many pieces from the 1500's and 1600's. There are also copies of the Scriptures from that era. It made me realize again the miracle that God's word has been preserved for all these years. There is one wing in the museum for Romanian art, and another for European art. I did see one Rembrandt, and several of the old masters that I have heard of.
The National Treasures museum has a collection of gold, some of which dates back to the 15th century BC. Also some crowns and other pieces from Romanian royalty. I was amazed again at the history we had a chance to view.
Sunday was a day of relaxing most the day, then another meal with Florica's family at her home. What a privilege to spend more time with the family that had such an important part in our adoption process 19 years ago.
Monday it was up at 3:45 am, finish packing everything drive to the airport, then 18 hours of travel time, including waiting between flights. All went smooth until we got to the baggage claim at Wichita Mid Continent. Two of the four bags we checked didn't show up. We picked them up at Chicago and carried them through customs and rechecked them so we knew they were in the US. The lady at the United counter gave us a form to fill out and said they would bring them to our home when they got in, and about 9:30 this morning, they were at our home.
Blessings to all who read this
Phil
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Romania day's 6-8
We are back in Bucharest after our excursion to the Brasov area. We wanted to visit Brasov as that is where Carri was born. Ninel helped Jane through the adoption process in Brasov 19 years ago.
We left Bucharest with Ninel and Roxana Wednesday morning and drove up into the mountains to Brasov, not knowing exactly what the schedule was to be, just trusting them to plan things out for us. The 1st place we visited was Peles Castle at the town of Sinaia. We went on a tour, led by a guide who spoke in English, and there were too many details to remember. It was built from 1873 to 1914, and was very modern for its time. It has electric lights, running water, central heating and a central vacuum system. It is an amazing place, beautiful wood and marble everywhere.
Leaving there we drove through Brasov to resort area near Poiana. The bank Roxana works for, has an annual meeting for the directors of their branches at this resort, so she arranged for a very good rate for us. It is a beautiful place, and very nice accommodations. We moved into our rooms and went into Brasov for dinner and sightseeing. One of the town squares has many nice shops and cafe's around it. Once again I was amazed by the old buildings from the 1800's, most of the ones around the area we were have been restored since the overthrow of the communists in 1989.
Thursday we toured Bran Castle. This castle was built, beginning in the 1200's. It is where the legend of Dracula and vampires started. There is no way today to sort out fact and fiction, but the Count from which the legend comes from was a bloodthirsty person who killed many, many people, but was probably not any worse than many others in his day. It was very interesting to see something that is that old.
Next it was on to a ski area near Poiana, and a ride in the cable car to the top of the mountain, what a thrill, and what a view. It was a little hazy, but still very beautiful. Ninel told us he has skied that mountain since he was 5 years old.
After dinner in Poiana it was back to Brasov for more shopping. There are tourists there from all over Europe, Ninel knows several languages and he could hear people speaking German, French, Italina and Spanish. All I could understand was English. It was so interesting to just watch people while the girls were shopping. We talked about trying to find the hospital where Carri was born, but Ninel doesn't remember where it is, so we didn't even try.
Friday morning we headed back to Bucharest, on the way we stopped at a village to see a house where Ninel spent part of his childhood. His Mother and Father still own the house, but do not live there. Ninel has dreams of someday renovating the place and spending at least part of the year there. We got back to our hotel in time to spend the evening relaxing and reading on the 22nd floor sun deck.
Blessings to all who read this.
Phil
We left Bucharest with Ninel and Roxana Wednesday morning and drove up into the mountains to Brasov, not knowing exactly what the schedule was to be, just trusting them to plan things out for us. The 1st place we visited was Peles Castle at the town of Sinaia. We went on a tour, led by a guide who spoke in English, and there were too many details to remember. It was built from 1873 to 1914, and was very modern for its time. It has electric lights, running water, central heating and a central vacuum system. It is an amazing place, beautiful wood and marble everywhere.
Leaving there we drove through Brasov to resort area near Poiana. The bank Roxana works for, has an annual meeting for the directors of their branches at this resort, so she arranged for a very good rate for us. It is a beautiful place, and very nice accommodations. We moved into our rooms and went into Brasov for dinner and sightseeing. One of the town squares has many nice shops and cafe's around it. Once again I was amazed by the old buildings from the 1800's, most of the ones around the area we were have been restored since the overthrow of the communists in 1989.
Thursday we toured Bran Castle. This castle was built, beginning in the 1200's. It is where the legend of Dracula and vampires started. There is no way today to sort out fact and fiction, but the Count from which the legend comes from was a bloodthirsty person who killed many, many people, but was probably not any worse than many others in his day. It was very interesting to see something that is that old.
Next it was on to a ski area near Poiana, and a ride in the cable car to the top of the mountain, what a thrill, and what a view. It was a little hazy, but still very beautiful. Ninel told us he has skied that mountain since he was 5 years old.
After dinner in Poiana it was back to Brasov for more shopping. There are tourists there from all over Europe, Ninel knows several languages and he could hear people speaking German, French, Italina and Spanish. All I could understand was English. It was so interesting to just watch people while the girls were shopping. We talked about trying to find the hospital where Carri was born, but Ninel doesn't remember where it is, so we didn't even try.
Friday morning we headed back to Bucharest, on the way we stopped at a village to see a house where Ninel spent part of his childhood. His Mother and Father still own the house, but do not live there. Ninel has dreams of someday renovating the place and spending at least part of the year there. We got back to our hotel in time to spend the evening relaxing and reading on the 22nd floor sun deck.
Blessings to all who read this.
Phil
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Romania day 5
We got to tour the Parliament building today. This building was being built by Nicolea Ceausescu, the Communist dictator as a palace and meeting place for the communist party. He originally called it the "people's palace", but that was later changed. Our guide gave too many details for me to remember, but it is an impressive building. There are 3000 rooms, and these are not small rooms. Everything is marble, many different colors. Almost everything is made of materials from Romania, only a very small percentage is from other countries, and most of that was gifts from other countries. The size of the building is second only to the Pentagon building. There are really no words to describe the building. It is not completely finished, as there is a lack of funds. At present is used for the Parliament, and many of the rooms can be rented for private meetings and conferences.
We had a good visit with Ninel about his experience during the revolution when Communism fell. His family was really pretty well off as his mother and father both had good positions from working hard at their jobs. His father worked in the coal mining industry, dealing with equipment, and purchasing equipment for that industry. His mother had a very good position working for a university as a teacher, and as a supervisor of other teachers. Ninel was working in a factory. When the revolution started, the factory was locked down as the leaders didn't know which side they were on. Ninel volunteered to go out to try to convince the leadership that that they would not participate in the revolution, and when he got where he was going was locked in prison with others. Some of the others in the same prison were taken out and executed, and Ninel was sure he would be next. But I think it was the next day, they were released. It was really interesting to talk to someone who experienced this.
The economic situation was very bad for the next few years, but has greatly improved since free enterprise has taken the place of Communism.
Blessings to all who read this
Phil
We had a good visit with Ninel about his experience during the revolution when Communism fell. His family was really pretty well off as his mother and father both had good positions from working hard at their jobs. His father worked in the coal mining industry, dealing with equipment, and purchasing equipment for that industry. His mother had a very good position working for a university as a teacher, and as a supervisor of other teachers. Ninel was working in a factory. When the revolution started, the factory was locked down as the leaders didn't know which side they were on. Ninel volunteered to go out to try to convince the leadership that that they would not participate in the revolution, and when he got where he was going was locked in prison with others. Some of the others in the same prison were taken out and executed, and Ninel was sure he would be next. But I think it was the next day, they were released. It was really interesting to talk to someone who experienced this.
The economic situation was very bad for the next few years, but has greatly improved since free enterprise has taken the place of Communism.
Blessings to all who read this
Phil
Monday, August 9, 2010
Romania Day 4
Another fun day. We were on our own as Ninel and Roxanna needed to work most of the day. They had shown us how to get to several interesting places within walking distance of our hotel. Some of them were shops that Jane and Carri really enjoyed. They found several things to buy of course, and it was great for me to tag along and observe the local people on the streets.
We visited a church that was first built in 1722, and has been renovated several times, but is still very much like it was originally built. No photos allowed inside, but I did take some outside. The church is across the square from the balcony where Nicolae Ceausescu gave his last speach before he was overthrown. When Jane was here in 1991, there were bullet holes in the outside walls of the church, and they have been plastered over. There is a monument to freedom in the square with a wall listing the names of the people who died in the revolution.
While walking back to the hotel, we were looking for a place to get something to drink, and came upon a Pizza Hut. We went in and got a drink, and a small snack. The menu is quite a bit different from in the US, they have a lot more European style things, but they do have Pizza, also Mountain Dew and Pepsi, which is understandable as Pepsi owns Pizza Hut.
We stopped by the National Art museum, but didn't realize that it is closed on Mondays, so will go tomorrow morning. Roxana has also arranged for us to tour the Parliament building tomorrow. It is open for public tours, but as she has some connections, we will get to see parts of it that most people don't get to see.
This evening we walked about a mile North of our hotel to, of all places, McDonald's. We wanted to try it once while we are here, just to compare it to the USA. It is pretty much the same, but the menu is a little different, more healthy foods, but they do have burgers, fries and shakes.
Blessings to all who read this.
Phil
We visited a church that was first built in 1722, and has been renovated several times, but is still very much like it was originally built. No photos allowed inside, but I did take some outside. The church is across the square from the balcony where Nicolae Ceausescu gave his last speach before he was overthrown. When Jane was here in 1991, there were bullet holes in the outside walls of the church, and they have been plastered over. There is a monument to freedom in the square with a wall listing the names of the people who died in the revolution.
While walking back to the hotel, we were looking for a place to get something to drink, and came upon a Pizza Hut. We went in and got a drink, and a small snack. The menu is quite a bit different from in the US, they have a lot more European style things, but they do have Pizza, also Mountain Dew and Pepsi, which is understandable as Pepsi owns Pizza Hut.
We stopped by the National Art museum, but didn't realize that it is closed on Mondays, so will go tomorrow morning. Roxana has also arranged for us to tour the Parliament building tomorrow. It is open for public tours, but as she has some connections, we will get to see parts of it that most people don't get to see.
This evening we walked about a mile North of our hotel to, of all places, McDonald's. We wanted to try it once while we are here, just to compare it to the USA. It is pretty much the same, but the menu is a little different, more healthy foods, but they do have burgers, fries and shakes.
Blessings to all who read this.
Phil
Romania Day 3
Started the day with a great breakfast at the hotel, and then relaxed around the pool for most of the morning. Carri and I went for a walk through the streets of Bucharest. I just love seeing the old buildings in the old part part of Bucharest. I don't know how old they are, but I am quite sure most of them date back to the early 1900's or before.
Roxana took us to a large shopping mall that just opened a year ago. It would fit in well in any city in the USA. There is an ice skating rink and rides for the kids, movie theaters with the same movies currently showing in the US theaters, and more stores than anyone would ever need. There is even a Starbucks.
One thing that really impressed me again is the growth of Romania since the fall of Communism in 1989, but I have to wonder if the young people who don't remember living under Communist rule will realize how precious their freedom is. Someone once said that people living in a free country are only one generation away from slavery to an oppressive government. I can definitely see that coming true in the USA, so many are unwilling to take responsibility for themselves, they want the government to provide for them, but don't realize that the only way the government can give them something is to steal it from someone else.
This evening we went to the home of Florica, one of the persons who helped Jane with our adoption 19 years ago. It was an emotional time for all of us. When I tried to express my gratitude to her for helping us and the way what she did has changed my life as well as Carri's and the rest of our family, I got choked up and had to wipe away tears. It was a special time and I praise God for the work He has done in all of our lives.
Blessings to all who read this.
Phil
Roxana took us to a large shopping mall that just opened a year ago. It would fit in well in any city in the USA. There is an ice skating rink and rides for the kids, movie theaters with the same movies currently showing in the US theaters, and more stores than anyone would ever need. There is even a Starbucks.
One thing that really impressed me again is the growth of Romania since the fall of Communism in 1989, but I have to wonder if the young people who don't remember living under Communist rule will realize how precious their freedom is. Someone once said that people living in a free country are only one generation away from slavery to an oppressive government. I can definitely see that coming true in the USA, so many are unwilling to take responsibility for themselves, they want the government to provide for them, but don't realize that the only way the government can give them something is to steal it from someone else.
This evening we went to the home of Florica, one of the persons who helped Jane with our adoption 19 years ago. It was an emotional time for all of us. When I tried to express my gratitude to her for helping us and the way what she did has changed my life as well as Carri's and the rest of our family, I got choked up and had to wipe away tears. It was a special time and I praise God for the work He has done in all of our lives.
Blessings to all who read this.
Phil
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