As stated in my previous post, November 21-25 I spent with my family at my brother Eugene and his wife Heidi's place in Arkansas, which is on the campus of Ouachita Hills Academy and College.

The ride there was somewhat stressful. Somewhere near the Arkansas border I ran into torrential rains. While listening to the radio I learned that quarter-size hail was falling somewhere in my general area, a severe storm warning was in effect, and a tornado watch had been issued. Between steady strobe flashes of red lightning I did my best to keep my eyes on the road. Most of this occurred after sunset.

I was glad to at least have a nicer vehicle for the weekend. My Jeep has been having transmission problems and other issues. Getting stranded several hours from home over a holiday did not sound like the kind of outcome I'd want to risk experiencing, so I rented a Volvo S60. (I had reserved a "standard" car, but for some reason Enterprise didn't have it ready. So I was stuck with the Volvo.) It was a very comfortable car with nearly all the features a person could want, and it is the first car I've driven with a speedometer that goes up to 160. It handled very nicely, and was very responsive. The only negatives were that it had a somewhat bumpy ride on certain surfaces, and it was somewhat of a fuel hog (I think my Jeep gets better mileage!) — and it was also a little too easy to speed when driving it.

Because my Jeep's radio and cassette deck have been nonfunctional for some years now, I got to enjoy some things usually absent when I drive: the radio, and music CDs. I think I found the perfect music for driving: Vivaldi's Cello with Yo-Yo Ma. I also listened to NPR, which I hadn't heard in ages. I love the voices of the NPR hosts. The two programs that occupied most of the that evening where Marketplace and Fresh Air. Both were quite interesting.

Finally, sometime after 9:00 p.m., I arrived at my brother's place. My mom had arrived only about 15 minutes earlier. It was good to see everyone.

On Thursday we went hunting for arrowheads, a past-time Eugene and Heidi have enjoyed. They have quite a collection now. I found what Eugene identified as part of a knife. Others found other minor things, nothing too exciting. I also found a perfectly smooth, round stone, about the size and shape of a softball that's been squashed a little. Ordinarily it wouldn't have been interesting at all, but it was the only stone like it in the field; all the others were rough and jagged. It made me wonder if it had some sort of use long ago.

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner, with "turkey" almondine, potatoes, cranberry sauce, salad, and three kinds of pie — pumpkin, pecan, and carob pudding. Heidi's sister Pam was there with her children, and also her brother, and some students.

On Friday we posed for a new family portrait (this one was taken on my camera, but there were other poses taken with other cameras, which I haven't seen yet).



We also played a very long game of Taboo, enjoyed some National Geographic videos, went to church at the church plant Eugene and Heidi have been helping, and visited a nursing home. I also managed to get in some long-needed naps.

Overall it was a nice vacation. I hope you enjoyed yours!

Tags: travel, arkansas, family

For Thanksgiving I will be joining my mom at Eugene and Heidi's home in Arkansas (at OHA/OHC). I'll be there November 22-25. It's always nice to be with family during the holidays, and there is a chance I may see some other friends there as well.

In December I am planning to attend the GYC conference, December 19-23. Just yesterday I finalized by airfare and hotel reservations. Glad to have all of that out of the way. I'm still not sure where I will actually spend Christmas, but there is a good chance it will be here at my home unless I have a new car before then. The same holds true for New Year's Day. It will be the first time I've been here at my home for those holidays in a number of years, maybe five years or more.

Tags: travel

Cell phone coverage in this area has been touch-and-go. One reason I have not switched to AT&T (and the iPhone) is because AT&T's coverage in this area is very poor. Verizon, on the other hand, has quite good coverage. Even from remote locations in the Shawnee National Forest, I can usually get a signal.

At home my coverage has been good, but not exceptional. I usually have had analog reception, maybe one or two bars. There are spots in the house and around here where, if I stood there too long, my signal would drop out. Sometimes turning my chair 45 degrees, or scooting 12 inches one way or the other, would bring back a signal that had started to go south.

However, this weekend, for some inexplicable reason, I am suddenly getting three, even four, bars — and EVDO digital. I'm not sure what Verizon did, but I sure hope it lasts! I haven't tested it outdoors or anywhere else yet.

UPDATE: While talking to my mom on the phone, it reverted to analog. I thought maybe it had been temporarily just "stuck" on EVDO because I was in town recently. But when we finished talking, it switched back to EVDO again. That's never happened before. So I'm still waiting to see how this unfolds.

Tags: verizon

I had a great time outdoors with friends at Bell Smith Springs state park, about an hour from 3ABN.

On the descent: April, Adam, Gabriela, Jason, Eva, and Ashley:



We had to cross a stream on poorly spaced and unstable stepping stones — half the group declined, and went another way; the rest of us continued up this ladder embedded in the stone on the other side:



At the top we went out onto this natural stone arch:



Myself, Adam, and Gabriela:



One of the cool sights for me was the fiery beech trees, against a wall of grey trees (not sure what kind) in the background; it was much more dramatic than this one photo suggests:

Tags: travel, illinois, parks, friends

The colors of autumn seem to be quite vivid this year at 3ABN. Below are a couple photos I took recently, and a very short a simple video.

Bradford pears along the entrance way to 3ABN:



Beautiful tree just outside the reception entrance at our Production Center:



A short little video taken from the road alongside the Production Center; the trees in the background were also quite colorful, but the color is lost in the haze over the distance (this was taken with a plain ol' camera that happens to have video ability):

Tags: 3abn

This request came from Cathy S. who works down the hall from me at 3ABN:

Dear 3ABN Family,

As many of you know Crystal D.'s husband, Scott, tragically lost his second brother Eric to suicide last week. Scott’s aunt Carol had suddenly died one week prior to Eric’s death, and his youngest brother Kyle lost his life in the same manner in March of this year. It is almost unbelievable to think of what this family must be going through at this time. Scott is in a state of complete confusion and is not doing very well, which is to be expected in light of this recent loss. The only thing I believe we can do right now is pray for Scott and Crystal. Time is an amazing healer and God’s grace is what will help Scott and Crystal. Crystal has been with 3ABN for 10 years and has been such a blessing to this ministry.

Please keep Scott, Crystal, and their extended family in your prayers. If you watch 3ABN, you've probably seen Crystal's name many times in the credits.

Tags: prayer, 3abn

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I wrote anything here. I recently posted a poem on my Xanga blog, "From His Presence." Click here to read it.

Tags: poetry, devotional, theology