Recover Me WebLog

First Solo Flight

I had a really great Sunday today! Not just because my daughter is celebrating her 31st birthday (Maybe it was 29, I had better check...). I flew my first solo flight!

Here are the details, and I know that those who know me realize that there will be life lessons contained within.

Today, July 27, 2008 was forecasted to be yet another hot and stormy July day here in the Washington DC area. I had not been able to perform my first solo on Saturday because there was too much wind coming across the runway for a rookie like me to handle. So, we scheduled the first solo for a nice calm Sunday morning starting at 6AM. I know this sounds early for most of you, but I have firmly settled into a routine of walking every morning at that time anyways.

Early in the morning you get your best shot at having calm winds and no thunderstorms to rain on your parade. So I rose up before the light and drove to the airport where I prepared the plane for its first flight of the day.

The airport I have been using is called Bay Bridge Airport and although it is small, it's a nice place to stay out of the big jets at BWI. There is also a lot of beauty being right on the Chesapeake Bay at the base of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Kent Island.

My flight instructor called and said he was running a bit late and asked me to taxi the plane from the hanger to the fuel pit where he would meet me. After doing a thorough pre-flight check on the plane I hopped in and started it up. The only detail I missed being a rookie is that is not good practice to start an airplane while still in the hangar. The only damage done was to the glass on a picture frame the tipped over from the wind created by the propeller.

While I was moving the plane down the taxiway, I glanced again at the plane that was flipped over at the end of the runway in the grass. The previous day, a student and his instructor took a wild ride when the plane bounced off the runway and the student overcorrected while trying to continue the landing. Luckily nobody was hurt at all, just shaken up quite a bit. This was a danger I wanted to avoid.

The lesson and the solo went without a hitch. My first landing was arguably my best. On my third try I came down a bit faster than I wanted to, and my plane bounced. I could see the crashed plane out of the corner of my eye, and I quickly made the decision to go around. I finished a few more landings without a hitch, and my instructor granted me my certificate along with a "well done".

I looked at my watch and decided that I still had time to make it to the 9:15 service at church, so I hit the road. About halfway, I remember that I still had the key to the hanger in my pocket! I turned around and also remembered the glass I left on the floor of the hanger. I decided that the wise thing to do would be to return to the hanger and clean up the mess I made. This would be much more important in the long run to the Kingdom of God than sitting in church.

As it turned out, I still had time to make it to the 11:15 service at the church. Mark's topic was Proverbs 22:3:

"A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it."

This made me think of my 3rd landing where I saw the danger and took refuge. I aborted the landing attempt. If I had kept going, I may have suffered for it. I believe the other wise decision was to take the key back promptly and clean up the broken glass in the hangar.

All of this made for a truly blessed worship experience this morning.

-Ron

Our Healing Through Christ

Being raised by a Christian Minister, and attending church my whole life, I have heard the Christian message of Salvation many times. Many people have heard that "Jesus Saves", but just what does that really mean?
The basic problem is that we live in a sinful world. But just what is sin? Is it stealing, killing, coveting, and adultry? Yes, and more. We live in a world that is racked by sin. Sin is more than just the things we do, but it is the state of things in the world we live.
You can live a "good" life, but sin does not stop at the door just because you are following all of the rules. The Bible says that "The rain falls on the just and the unjust". Really bad things do happen to good people.
The law of Moses does not much more than show us the situation we live in. There has been no person except Jesus who could live their life and keep the law. We still comit sin, and we are still the victoms of sin.
So what is the solution? Is there any way we can undo our situation by doing good? Can we somehow stem the tide of badness that exists in our world? Many have been called to help where they can. Mother Theresa has done much good to help some of the most unfortunate people in the world. Does this give her a special place wth God? God loves us all the same, and there is nothing we can do to negotiate any special treatment fom God. God's salvation through Christ is a free gift for all.
The fact is all we can do is accept God's gift. Stop thinking that somehow we have some kind of power of our own and admit that we are powerless over the effects of sin in our lives. This means that we are poweress over the adictions and habits that drive us to bad behavior, and we are also powerless over the results of living in a sinful world. There will always be fatal accidents, cancers, and other bad experiences along the way.
Once we have recieved God's grace by accepting the free gift of Christ's redemption, we are compelled by love and gratitude to change our lives. We can finally break free from the chains of addictions and habits that seem to rule our lives. We give back to the world not to gain anything more for ourselves, but to share the gift of new life given to us by God.

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Keep doin' what you are doin'

Colossians 3

Rules for Holy Living

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[1] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[2] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.



This scripture speaks so totally to recovery. In a time when people are more polarized than we have been for a long time (at least politically) we must keep constant reminders like this one to continue doing the good things that recovery has taught us to do.
In the weight loss program that I am currently participating in, I could all too easily lose all of the progress that I may make toward my goals of a healthier self by forgetting the disciplines of correct eating and exercise.
This is no different in our spiritual lives. We must continue to fight the good faith and constantly remind each other of God's grace that allows us to accept ourselves and other just as God has. This grace gives us the power to continue to do what God calls us to do.
I pray that Gods grace will shine its light into your life and allow you to see and accept yourself as God sees you, and to accept those that God brings into your life. May we learn to daily give and receive God’s grace in all of the different forms that God showers us in it.

Life with no regrets - Jack's story...

I regret many things in my life. I am working on healing from my past, what was done to me and what I have done to myself and others. My most recent regret is my lack of Faith in God. Like Paul in Romans, I so don’t understand or like what I know I choose to do, or rather DON’T DO, and trusting in God for positive outcomes in my life has always been a very real sin problem for me.

This past week has been a whirlwind of much needed spiritual teaching from Him!! It started when a stray tabby-tomcat literally walked into my life all battered and bruised while on vacation. He took to my family immediately, and so totally unafraid he rested in our home away from home. We sheltered him, gave him a new name, mended and patched him, endlessly kissed and hugged him (of course, and only ‘cuz he let us, truly amazing!) and even provided for all the necessary unpleasant issues needed to be done such as vet checks, shots, bathing and (ugh) neutering. Through it all Jack has been such a tremendous trooper and continually amazes us with his great nature, docile and loving temperament, and acceptance of all the conditions thrust upon him. Jack belongs to us now, we belong to Jack… it’s like he’s ‘come home’ in a way and we’ve totally bonded in less than a week! He’ll be going home to Maryland with us in a few days.

Earlier this week Jack didn’t look so good and I was very worried and afraid for his health, even for his little and so vulnerable life, after all we demanded of him. I allowed my fears to take over and didn’t trust Jack to God’s divine hand and goodness. Then yesterday God spoke to my heart and warmly told me that Jack would be OK, that there were many reasons for His bringing Jack to us, and that He wasn’t giving Jack to us just to take him away through a sudden death. God reminded me to see beyond the circumstances to his deeper work at hand.

There is much more I could share about Jack’s story and his amazing kitty ways. He is doing well and truly resting. But, the deeper story is how God spoke to my heart through Jack’s amazing rescue from the streets. It dawned on me that I am a Jack myself! I was battered about by the world, lost, running scared, broken and bruised… and I happened to come across God. When I knew in my heart who had found me and that I was totally safe with Him, I let go and totally surrendered to God for salvation, much like Jack has done with us! God initially did a lot of binding of my heart, mending and healing…. holding, hugging and caressing. God also provided for some very painful procedures that I wouldn’t have chosen for myself but were necessary for my very survival. And, like we will inevitably do with Jack, God will continually watch out for me, heal me, provide and take care of me.

Now, when I find myself lacking trust in God, if I can keep my wits about me, all I need to do is think of Jack and his amazing story of redemption. I think I may carry a picture of him and place one at my desk at work. I need all the reminders I can get!

Thank You Father God, for your loving and tender grace, for your spiritual love and teaching, for your son Jesus, and most of all (right now)…. for Jack, and his story! Carole M

Living life with no regrets

As a human being there are so many things to regret. Things that we don’t do, that we should have done, and things we do that we wish we had not done. When we live in the grips of addiction, our lives can feel so wretched as we lose more and more control to drives in our lives that take over our sense of how we should live, and any propriety that we think we may possess.

Saint Paul talks about these feelings in his letter to the Romans in Chapter 7. The dilemma is known to all of us.

The fact is we all fail in our attempts to be "good". This is part of the human condition. If we cannot accept the "bad" parts of ourselves, we tend to beat ourselves up and live our lives in regret.

This cycle of regret is broken when we accept ourselves as God has accepted us. God loves us so much that he gave his only son to die for us. God did this even though he new in advance that we would blow it so many times. This is the grace that we live in, and it is wonderful gift to be able to live life, and not regret the falls along the way. We know that as long as we live in relationship to God through Christ that we are forgiven and can live outside of the laws that govern sin and death.

What are you seeking?

We are all seeking something. Is it something that will make you feel better? Better for how long?

As we grow up and develop, there are needs that we have that are hopefully fulfilled by our parents, family and friends. These needs include feeling known, cared for, loved, and appreciated just for being. In a typical mother you find all of these things. Hopefully your mother had all of these qualities when she was raising you. Anything less than this in a family environment creates a dysfunctional family.

Many if not most of us have been raised in dysfunctional families. As adults from dysfunctional families, we seek comfort in what we perceive as ‘adult’ ways. Drinking, partying, drugging, abusing ourselves and others becomes the norm. We feel guilt, shame, loneliness, or self loathing, and we want to feel better.

The real thing we feel in all of this is a loss of connectedness to God and others. Getting this connectedness back is what recovery is all about.

What are you seeking?

If you have looked for God in churches built by man, did you find Him? We need to look deeper for Him than just the trappings of religious traditions. Jesus said that those who worship Him, worship in spirit and truth. Throughout history man has built beautiful and awesome Churches, Mosques, Temples, and Synagogues as places to worship and connect with God. The truth is that these are just physical places. They can bring comfort, and hopefully will bring you closer to followers of God, but until you have invited God to live life in your heart and purpose to share every day of your life with him, this religious experience is in vain.

Many churches today have become purveyors of religious goods and services. They do what they can to out-do other churches. True religion is something that is lived everyday, and is shown by how we live our lives.

What are you seeking?

Comfort can only come to those who have mourned. Rest can only come to those who have worked. Good can only be recognized when you have seen evil. Recovery comes when you do the work to evaluate your life, and purpose to make changes.