The MOST current thinking as of 11.19.08

To One and All,

As you can see we put some pictures up Sunday evening the 16th of November, but no new news! So what's that all about? Let me bring you all up to date. (Enjoy the pictures!)

First, Judy and I are doing well and we are thoroughly enjoying all the expressions of an Alaskan winter- cold, snow, wind, ice, shorter days, clear blue skies with bright sun...but without any warmth, gray skies with NO sun, scraping ice off of car windshields, but as of yet no northern lights!

Second, we continue to be able to support our grandchildren in their various activities. We have attended basketball games in crowded grade school gyms as well as two, four hour gymnastic meets. And we have thoroughly enjoyed it all! Most of all we have been blessed by the expressions of, "Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for coming to my meet or basketball game, or whatever!"

Third, we have been able to connect with many of our Alaskan friends. We have been praying, "Lord, may we meet up with those people we need to meet up with..." and that has really been the case. And we have loved what He has done by surprising us.

Fourth, we have been able to reconnect with the land. Comparing Alaska to Southern California is like comparing apples to bananas: they each are so different but you enjoy them both! Alaska has it's own raw beauty and we have been captured by that "northern beauty" once again.

And finally, we have been able to maintain our self imposed schedule of reading, praying, thinking, listening and talking about "this next chapter in our lives!" Let me give you our most current thinking.

1. Our specific direction is not absolutely clear yet. Once again, we are not anxious about this. We know that in the timing of the Lord it will become obvious what this next chapter will look like.
2. Even though the direction is not "specific" yet, there is a general "drift" towards what we think the Lord might be saying to us.
3. Once again, we are totally aware that "it" might not even look like what we think we might be "drifting" towards right now.
4. The "list" we had a couple of months ago included five possibilities plus a #6 which was "none of the above."
5. We still have that #6 (See #3 above) with adjustments in the original "five" and some others added.

Maybe you are asking yourself (or perhaps "muttering" to yourself) "how can they do this? They need to make up their minds. The seven weeks in Alaska is coming to a close. They HAVE to know something!" Remember what I have said all along: "I would not commit to anything until after January 1, 2009." The time spent here has been so helpful. There are things I (GJ) have learned about myself that I would have never learned nor heard if I had not stopped the train and spent this time being real quiet, real "unbusy," real deliberate in reading the Word- without thinking "how can I develop this passage for my next sermon!" I had been so preoccupied with fixing meals (sermons/lessons/articles) for everyone else for the past 46 years, (which was a good thing) that I had not taken time to consistently sit down at the table and eat well balanced meals for myself (which would be the 'best" thing!) In these past five weeks I have almost read the entire Bible- purely for the joy of hearing from the Lord without any agenda of sermon preparation. I will have read all 66 books before Thanksgiving Day! It has been refreshing, rejuvenating, revealing and very convicting to once again read, see, sense and hear, the heart of God as revealed in His Word!

Here is the most current plan: I will update this blog, Monday, November 24th. We'll see what the Lord has in store for us on that date!

With love and prayers,

Graydon and Judy from Twin Lakes, with an incredible view of Matanuska Peak!