mary's muse & views...

The Dream Academy...

2011-06-07T20:10:00.006-04:00

Dream Academy - Life In A Northern Town by Tunashaker

...the latest tune to begin playing in my head out of nowhere... I had to google the only lyrics I knew ("...the winter of '63 and John F. Kennedy") to find it. As always, the rest of the song and video now speaks volumes to me... giving new meaning to the "Salvation Army" ever playing in the background... as the faithful soundtrack of life...

Mother Mary...

2011-05-08T11:18:00.009-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to my mother, all mothers and above all, the Blessed Mother...

Thank you LIFESTYLE Magazine!

2011-02-20T21:53:00.001-05:00

(double click image to enlarge)

Many thanks to Central Florida's LIFESTYLE Magazine and writer Susan Cross for her very kind article on Formula One Life! And a special thanks to Susan for taking the time to understand our mission and helping spread the word in such an invaluable way!

ALSO... We would like to recognize DR. ROGER BASSIN- pictured on the front cover!- for being a major sponsor and supporter of FormulaOneLife! Dr. Bassin and his wife Stephene continue to be a blessing beyond words to our mission... Thank you and God bless you Dr. Bassin and Stephene!

To read both articles on line please click on the following link:
http://centralflorida-lifestyle.com/index.php?page=multiplearticles&catid=23

Hey, Soul Sister!!

2011-02-06T00:00:00.003-05:00

This song is music to my soul and will play a very special role in my future... mark my words!! :) :) :)

Home sweet home & holiday cheer!

2010-12-05T16:54:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays from our home to yours! (Tom & Claire Lavin's Marietta Art House grand opening, 12/5/10)

Formula One Life's TV debut!

2010-11-06T22:28:00.000-04:00

Real Conversations - Formula One Life - RC04 from Real Conversations on Vimeo.

Here it is! Our first television interview on TV45's "Real Conversations" with Larry Langston & Carolyn Pankalla. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Larry, Carolyn and the whole TV45 staff for having us on their wonderful, new show!!

The Test of Time... and Hunger...

2010-09-26T18:50:00.005-04:00

During crew break on a recent flight...

I dreamed I was in an underground tunnel... impatiently walking through clusters of dazed and confused individuals stumbling around in the dark. It seemed as if I was the only one who knew where we were and what was going on, and that the objective was to move forward toward the light at the end of the tunnel! I was terribly frustrated with all the people who kept walking into the sides of the walls and falling down instead of moving forward which was the only obvious way out... After repeatedly stepping over and around all the human obstacles on my course, I finally got ahead of everyone and was speed walking with an attitude (I admit!) when suddenly a bright spotlight came on and stopped me in my tracks. I was suddenly in the middle of a high tech laboratory... trapped in a Star Trek-like magnetic field and seemingly on the verge of being “beamed up...” Then I heard a woman’s, soft, automated voice say: “And now you will feel the effects of hunger...” I felt sick to my stomach with fear even before the experiment began and quickly murmured,“God help me...” Then I heard a machine start up and I knew it was a time machine on fast forward... set to quickly administer the prescribed dose of hunger... Almost instantly I felt faint... then a vacuum like sucking in my stomach... before I literally felt my stomach turning inside out... then I woke up. With tears in my eyes and an ache not in my stomach but in my heart over the clear message of this dream...

...that I am indeed going through a season of extreme testing... and “the path” I am on feels at times as dark and confining as an underground tunnel... and there are many others with me in this season of testing, but sadly, many are lost and without direction... In my dream and in real life I do know the way and am clearly walking with a purpose-- intensely reconfirmed in this dream-- to feed the hungry and feel their hunger... in order to serve passionately and compassionately... and that if I am obedient to the calling and live out my purpose... I will surely pass the test, complete the course and reach the light eternal... into which the faithful shall surely be “beamed up” at the end of days...

Better Than a Hallelujah...

2010-06-15T12:02:00.001-04:00

My latest favorite song... beautiful, powerful and true...

The Birth of a Mission...

2010-04-24T00:09:00.002-04:00

The story of Formula One Life to the music of "How Much" by Mary Beth Lavin, Founder, Formula One Life. Vocals- Lydia Gott; Prod- Chuck Butler; Video Montage- Claire Lavin.

From conception to birth to a healthy, growing mission... Please join Formula One Life as we prepare for our next trip to Ethiopia, May 12th-19th... Visit www.formulaonelife.org to send a bottle of love to a baby in need... Thank you!!

My father's brother's passing...

2010-04-16T19:22:00.022-04:00

The following are excerpts from the eulogy my father wrote for his brother, Mick, who passed over last week... Even more than blood brothers, they were true brothers in Christ... These words are proof to me that the grape does not fall far from the Vine... (Lavin means Vine means Jesus...)

"When chosen, we all will pass over... Mick was first of his three brothers and sister to pass to eternity, having also "passed" the earthly test we all are taking... We, the worldly, should not be afraid but strive to, not only take the Lord's examinations but, pass them with flying colors... Mick passed, with his Veteran's Colors draping his body... Mick's support for pro-life organizations showed his love of humanity, his military service showed his concern for his country...civil service showed his concern for proper government, school board- his concern for children...family dedication showed his love of family values... Mick's wife Diana passed her daily test for about 25 years -- taking care of some, then many, then every one of Mick's needs... Multiple Sclerosis slowly took his ability to walk, to move, to type on his computer, to see... But, at his side, gaining her angel's wings, was his angelic wife Diana. Her lifelong care and love for Mick is a stunning example for all but a guarantee of eternal happiness for Diana... Some say the evidence that there is no God is that the world teems with wars, diseases and despair. But can there be ups without downs, mountains without valleys or laughter without sobs?...let us be mindful of the dark side so we can be the light... The afflicted, the disabled, the depressed, the disenchanted, the Terri Schiavos... every unwanted child-to-be needs our compassion, our love and our help... And we need them for both their own merit and as objects of our love - to be able to excel in our own life's audition...Let no organization tell you that the cripples are so far gone that they should be forgotten, left to die or euthanized for the good of society. Let no one inhibit your will to defend, protect and enhance human life... We owe it to Mick, to Diana and to ourselves to promote human life, family values and to dedicate ourselves to speak up for humanity... Mick was an outdoorsman's outdoorsman. He is now free of being cooped up inside. He can now sense the fresh air, the greenery, the nature he loved, being right next to the Creator of nature... We should be thankful that no restriction now prevents him from spiritually acting with God for human good and on the last day reunite his entirely restored body with his God-like soul. Let us know, it always was and always will be His will, and it always was and always will be completed in Jesus' name, Amen."

In loving memory of Mick Lavin... God rest his soul...

Something About Mary...

2010-04-11T22:54:00.016-04:00

I have never been much of a Marian Catholic, but this Lenten Season I went through such a personal crisis that I very willingly turned to the Blessed Mother for some serious intercession. I decided for the first time in my life to say a Novena– nine consecutive days of praying the rosary-- for the last nine days of Lent ending on Easter eve. For over a year, I had been praying about someone in my life who had become to me the heaviest cross my heart has ever carried... tormenting me like 'a thorn in my side' as one spiritual friend wisely put it...

So the last nine days of Lent I prayed the rosary... in both English and Spanish– since both are native to the person for whom I was praying. On the last day of the Novena, the day before Easter, I was driving in my car when I suddenly remembered the old adage, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” I shook my head in disappointment at the 'hard to swallow' truth in that proverb... and turned my thoughts to something else...

That night, having prayed the final rosary in the Novena, I fell asleep...

I dreamed I was standing at the edge of a forest, in a clearing by the water... A woman was standing next to me, and we were both watching a man on a black horse stopped a short distance from the water... Suddenly the horse went crazy, kicking his front legs up in the air nearly throwing the rider off... Strangely, there was no sound from the rider who neither cried out nor made any attempt to take command of the wild animal throwing him around... The woman turned sadly to me and said, “He is not yet ready to receive the news...”

When I woke up I knew immediately it was Mary herself who had appeared in my dream to deliver the final answer to my prayers... and to confirm what had fallen into my Spirit the day before... You can lead a horse to water... even through the dark thicket of the forest in my dream and in real life... but if the rider has no control over the dark horse who carries him, the dark horse will never let him get to the spring of living water or, the Good ‘News’ as the Blessed Mother said...

As final confirmation, I had also been praying for quite some time for the ‘soul tie’ to be broken with this person... Today, as I was on my knees in prayer, the elastic band holding my hair back suddenly snapped, and my hair was loosed... falling free from the ‘ponytail’ it had been tied up in...

I shed some quiet tears of thanks to Jesus and His Mother Mary... For truly freedom, through prayers answered so beautifully, has never been so sweet...

Holy Thursday...

2010-03-31T20:34:00.002-04:00

(*this clip contains graphic video from "The Passion")

May we never forget His Passion for us...

Aliens!

2010-03-20T10:39:00.021-04:00

"...I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien, I'm an Englishman in New York..."

I had a dream last night that led me to this song, this morning... I had certainly heard it many times before but never could make out all the words... This time, while watching the video in the quiet of my home, I was finally able to understand the lyrics... As always, the 'message' resonated well beyond the surface...

Besides the strange, literal truth as it related to a particular 'alien' in my life (men are from mars!), there is actually a spiritual truth in this song, as well... As God's people, we are all aliens in this world! In Christ's own words regarding us, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." John 17:16 Or as Peter later cautioned, "Dear friends, I warn you as aliens and temporary residents on earth to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your souls." 1 Peter 2:11

It's a battlefield for sure, down here... but we can at least take comfort in the promise that this world truly IS beneath us...!

"...Takes more than combat gear to make a man
Takes more than a license for a gun
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can
A gentleman will walk but never run..." Sting

God's Wonders...

2010-03-19T22:15:00.008-04:00

Rainbow Theatre, London, 1974

Among the many wonders of God is Stevie Wonder...who made a very special guest appearance in my dream last night. In my dream, I saw him standing on stage in a live performance... At the end of his performance he took off his sunglasses, looked up to the sky and opened his eyes wide for all to see... Then I woke up.

The first interpretation came quickly to me... that the blind see more clearly than some of us with seeing eyes... I later realized, however, that there was more to it... This was a message of blind faith... and keeping that blind faith while in total darkness... and holding onto that blind faith throughout our 'live' performance on the stage of the world... and at the end of our performance, if we have kept that blind faith, the blinders will be removed... and we shall look to the heavens and behold through wide and wondrous eyes, the one, true God of wonders...

Follow You...

2010-03-14T17:55:00.003-04:00

I really needed to hear this song, today...

If I have not love...

2010-02-28T11:38:00.004-05:00

"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing..." 1 Cor. 13:2
I quoted this verse to someone recently, so naturally I not only came across it as a theme from one of my favorite Italian artists, but I also found it in Spanish- which is even more poignant in this case. I was disappointed I could not find the official video, but when I saw the end of this one, I knew it was the exact video I was meant to see... and understand... in love.

2010-02-26T10:53:00.001-05:00

Blind Faith and Evidence...

2010-02-23T22:26:00.006-05:00

"Faith is the evidence of things unseen..."
These are the words that came to me yesterday quite out of the blue. I recognized them as a lyric from one of my favorite Christian bands from years ago, DC Talk. I couldn't remember the song, so I searched for DC Talk on YouTube to see what might come up. After finding the lyric in "My Mind's Eye" (great song) I saw my favorite song by DC Talk, "Colored People." I had never seen the video, so just for fun (or so I thought) I decided to watch it... Wow... Sometimes the evidence of faith is plain to see... and sadly, sometimes the writing really is on the wall...

These Dreams...

2010-02-21T13:26:00.007-05:00

After another dreamful night, the song that came to Heart this morning... Here is an awesome performance of a classic I have always loved... with lyrics that seem to tell the story of my life, lately...

"Is it cloak and dagger could it be Spring or Fall...I walk without a cut through a stained-glass wall...weaker in my eyesight...candle in my grip...and words that have no form...falling from my lips...These dreams go on when I close my eyes...every second of the night...I live another life..."

The test of time...

2010-02-11T19:38:00.005-05:00

"One day, one night, one moment, My dreams could be tomorrow, One step, one fall, one falter, East or west, Over earth or by ocean, One way to be my journey, This way could be my Book of days...
No day, no night, no moment can hold me back from trying, I'll fly, I'll fall, I'll falter, I’ll find my day maybe far and away...
One day, one night, one moment, With a dream to believe in, One step, one fall, one falter, Find a new world across a wide ocean, This way became my journey, This day brings together far and away..."

The Audacity of LIFE...

2010-02-08T00:35:00.012-05:00

...putting our "Hope" to shame...

Part II...

www.giannajessen.com

LIFE mismeasured...

2010-02-06T13:56:00.066-05:00

In light of this weekend’s Superbowl ad featuring Tim Tebow promoting life and his mother’s ultimate choice to thankfully give him life, my dream last night seems less than coincidental in its timing...

I dreamed I saw some assembly line, factory like work taking place in a basement setting... where little balloons were being filled from the taps of huge vats and tossed into massive containers... When I looked closer, I saw the little balloons each had writing on them, and I saw very clearly one of them up close which read “½ infant.” The two men I saw filling, tying and tossing the balloons were completely disengaged from what they were doing. One was engrossed in a meaningless book while the other was joking around talking worthless nonsense. Then I woke up... with a heavy heart as I understood this dream... of '1/2 infants' being discarded in mass graves by a generation completely disconnected from the value and meaning of life. I then fell back asleep and saw a tall, handsome, black man wearing clothing so small his shirt sleeves and pant legs were at 3/4 length on him... When I woke up, I knew it somehow followed on the shirttails of Tim Tebow symbolizing another great man (see below) who could have been tossed in the 3/4 size container but instead was given life and a big, beautiful dose of it... Finally, I fell asleep and saw some very grave words about the consequences of our 'choice' as a nation... When I woke up this time, I couldn't help wondering if the tall, handsome, black man in the undersized clothes had a double meaning-- also symbolizing our nation's leading proponent of 'choice' as a man grown 'too big for his britches...'

When I logged on today to write this dream down, I found in my inbox an e-mail from my father encouraging writers like me to continue writing on essential life values, and he included a link to a sobering song on abortion... very clearly a message of confirmation!

Finally I remembered Michael Landon who played America’s favorite father on “Little House on the Prairie” as well as an angel on “Highway to Heaven.” Fans of “Little House” will remember that Michael Landon called his daughter (Melissa Gilbert) ‘half-pint’... I looked it up out of curiosity to see what I might find and discovered for the first time that Melissa Gilbert was adopted... after her mother, as well, made a difficult but courageous choice... and graced the world with another ‘half-pint’ grown to the height of the stars... by simply allowing LIFE...!

**Shortly after writing this I spoke to my sister who solved the mystery of the other great man in my dream by reminding me that Nick Cannon was very close to being aborted and wrote a powerful song about it... Here is his deeply moving testimony:

"...just think just think, What if you could just blink your self away, Just wait just pause for a second, Let me plead my case, It's the late 70's, You 17 and having me that will ruin everything huh, It's a lot of angels waiting on their wings, You see me in your sleep so you can't kill your dreams, $300 that's the price of living- what? Mommy I dont like this clinic, Hopefully you'll make the right decision, And dont go through with the knife incision, But it's hard to make the right move, When you in high school, How you have to work all day and take night school, Hopping off the bus when the rain is pouring, What you want morning sickness or the sickness of mourning...?"

Enigma...

2010-01-22T23:02:00.010-05:00

Yesterday I had the word "enigma" suddenly come to me... I wasn't sure what it meant, exactly, so I dismissed it as some random word that just appeared in my mind out of nowhere. I couldn't get it out of my head, though, since the mysterious nature of the word seems so relevant to this season of my life... Then today I remembered the band, Enigma, that I used to love years ago. I decided to see what I might find of theirs on line... This is what I found... a motion picture of life in rewind...in a return to innocence...

Love, devotion, feeling, emotion...Don't be afraid to be weak...Don't be too proud to be strong...Just look into your heart my friend...That will be the return to yourself...The return to innocence...If you want, then start to laugh...If you must, then start to cry...Be yourself don't hide...Just believe in destiny...Don't care what people say...Just follow your own way...Don't give up and lose the chance to return to innocence...That's not the beginning of the end...That's the return to yourself...The return to innocence...

C.S. Lewis (cont.)

2010-01-16T23:12:00.003-05:00

C.S. Lewis: From Atheism to Theism...

2010-01-08T18:45:00.006-05:00

Lewis arrived at the conclusion that joy is actually a desire... All I can say is-- great minds think alike: "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" J.S.Bach. (This performance appealed to the Celtic woman in me :)

Jesu, joy of man's desiring
Holy wisdom, love most bright
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light

Word of God, our flesh that fashioned
With the fire of life impassioned
Striving still to truth unknown
Soaring, dying round Thy throne

The original song continues with these words:

Through the way where hope is guiding
Hark, what peaceful music rings
Where the flock, in Thee confiding
Drink of joy from deathless springs
Theirs is beauty's fairest pleasure
Theirs is wisdom's holiest treasure
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown

What If You're Wrong...

2010-01-07T23:07:00.006-05:00

This one is for all the naysayers out there...

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him (Jesus): ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic- on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” – C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Why Not Now...

2010-01-07T00:19:00.003-05:00

City on our Knees from Fellowship Creative on Vimeo.

This song would not stop playing in my head all day, so I finally decided to search for a video and lyrics. Now I know why I was singing it... another message I needed to hear...and share...
"Through the fog there is hope in the distance, From cathedrals to third world missions, Love will fall to the earth like a crashing wave..." (Toby Mac)

A New Year's Resolution...

2009-12-30T17:15:00.003-05:00

As we look back on another year gone by, may we reflect also on this powerful message of change... left behind for us all by one of the world's greatest artists ever... May he rest in peace, and may this cry of his heart live on in each of us...

"...as I turn up the collar on my favorite winter coat this wind is blowin' my mind...I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat, Who am I to be blind pretending not to see their need... A summer's disregard...A broken bottle top... And one man's soul...They follow each other on the wind ya' know 'cause they got nowhere to go, that's why I want you to know...

I've been a victim of a selfish kinda love... It's time that I realize
There are some with no home and not a nickel to loan...Could it be really me pretending that they're not alone... A widow deeply scarred...Somebody's broken heart and a washed out dream...They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see 'cause they got no place to be...That's why I'm starting with me..."

A New Season...

2009-12-29T09:14:00.004-05:00

I woke up singing this song by one of my favorite singer/songwriters, so I decided to see if I could find a video for it and found this... As always, God picked just the right song at just the right time... Wishing everyone a blessed new year and a beautiful new season of life...

Happy Birthday, Jesus...

2009-12-24T15:38:00.003-05:00

May the Spirit of Christ be with you this Christmas and always...

A Childhood Dream...

2009-12-20T15:02:00.039-05:00

A family friend took this picture yesterday of our home in PA in the midst of the snowstorm... Just seeing it brings back a thousand memories-- including one of a childhood dream I had... the meaning of which I never understood until now!!

I dreamed that in the middle of the night, a very short, fat man pushed me out of a second story window and off the roof of our home... As I was falling, Jesus caught me, and we went flying around the yard together, hand in hand, like Superman and Lois Lane... I remember feeling the wind on my face and was convinced upon waking and for years after- in my childlike faith- that it really happened...

Just recently I discovered that my sister had the exact same dream in that house... Today we are both flight attendants, and I recently started a flight attendant run mission flying baby formula to orphanages in third world countries... I started wondering if my little dream may have been a little prophetic! Then, just now, for the first time, I found myself wondering about the role of the 'little fat man' in my dream... and suddenly I remembered the Penguin from the cast of "Batman!" I decided to Google him out of sheer curiosity, and this is the description I found: "The Penguin is a supervillain... one of Batman's oldest, most persistent archenemies... a short, rotund man... a mobster and thief."
Wow!! If that doesn't spell it out... The old as time battle between good and evil... with Superman even flying off the pages of one world to fight the Penguin in another... all in a small child's dream... revealed some thirty years later!

I would say it was prophetic indeed-- that little fat man is still trying to push me around! But with Superman by my side, all I can say is: "SHAZAM!! TAKE THAT!!" ...lol ;)

Jesus... still the greatest Superhero of all time... :)

For more on the "Formula One Life" mission, simply click on the title of this post...thank you!

Bless the Rains...

2009-12-12T18:13:00.007-05:00

I woke up today singing "Africa" by Toto... I have only ever known a few lines from that song so I just Googled it, wondering why I awoke singing it and knowing there had to be a meaning-- as there has been to nearly all of my sleep related thoughts, lately... After reading the lyrics and watching this powerful video, I have no doubt it was a message from above... It is truly amazing how He speaks to us so directly, sometimes... We need only listen...

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way,
Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, Hurry boy, It's waiting there for you

It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never have

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become

Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you...

Meet my Father...

2009-12-04T19:01:00.025-05:00

I dreamed I was back in my hometown... excitedly awaiting the arrival of my boyfriend who would be meeting my father for the first time. I was not in the house in which I grew up, however, but in the house of my very first best friend– who lived at the top of a main street which led to the highway. My father worked at a military base on the highway and was getting ready to go back to work. My boyfriend- who had chosen to walk to my house- was terribly delayed... and in my dream, I could see him just coming out of the woods and walking along Front Street– the road of lowest elevation in our hillside town. My father kept looking at his watch, growing impatient, and then decided to send me in his prized corvette to go pick up my boyfriend who was taking too long... I drove off and found my boyfriend slowly making his way up the main street toward our home, when suddenly a storm broke, and it started to rain... I thought my boyfriend would be relieved to see me with the car, but instead, he refused to get in and insisted on walking uphill in the storm... When I drove back home I found my father waiting outside, now, keys in hand, ready to leave for work if my boyfriend did not arrive within minutes... I pleaded with my father to wait just a little longer as I could see my boyfriend in the distance slowly making his way up the hill toward us... My father shook his head and said “No... Time’s up. The gate is closing...” He was referring to the security gate at the base which observed and enforced strict arrival times. I was heartbroken as I watched my father leave... and my boyfriend arrive minutes too late, cold and drenched, saying only, “He could have waited...” Then I woke up...

This dream broke my heart again on waking, as I understood the symbolism and realized what it might signify... You need only capitalize a few words for what is possibly a much deeper meaning... my Father, the Gatekeeper (in the house of my very first best friend, i.e. my Father's house)...working at the secured base on the Highway... sending His prized possession to give a lift to His late son, so that His son could arrive before the Gate closed...

Sadly, this dream came true in a certain sense, and the gate did close on my relationship with this man... I know my Father, however, is still waiting on him... and He will be for as long as it takes...

Anchor of Good News...

2009-11-22T20:53:00.016-05:00

I came home from Guatemala a couple days ago to learn that my dear friend and spiritual mentor had passed away after a long battle with cancer... In her honor, I would like to share a dream I had about her one year ago...

I dreamed I was visiting a big producer in Nashville. He took me into his control room where there were many television monitors showing various people in various “reality” shows. Right in the middle was a monitor showing Jeanie as an anchor woman presenting the news. I said excitedly to the producer, "That's Jeanie! That's my bible study teacher!" He smiled warmly and said, "I know." It seemed as if he didn't know she had cancer, though, so I asked anxiously, "Have you been in touch with her lately?" He replied calmly, "Yes... she's well... she has a child." I replied, still anxious, "Yes, but she has cancer." He said, still calmly, "That's passing." I asked, "How do you know?" And he replied, very pointedly, "I'm a nurse." Then I followed him out of the room... and woke up.

After remembering it the next morning, I quickly understood the beautiful symbolism of the big producer, live shows and Jeanie-- up front and center-- as one of God’s anchors presenting the Good News... What I didn't quite understand was the nurse comment. Wouldn’t God sooner call Himself a doctor? When I called Jeanie later that day to tell her about my dream, the first thing she said to me was that the doctors weren't giving her much hope. I immediately understood the 'nurse' comment in my dream... contrasting the hopelessness of the doctors... as the God of all hope...

I later realized, only after writing the dream down, that His reply “That’s passing” could be interpreted two different ways... My heart sank as I realized that maybe I had misunderstood when I took His words to mean that Jeanie would be healed of cancer... Today, however, I take comfort in knowing, that in a deeper sense, I did not misunderstand... Jeanie was indeed healed... for what greater healing can there be than that of 'passing over' into eternal life...

May God rest the soul of our beloved Jeanie Hunter... the most beautiful anchor of Good News I have ever known...

Be(a)ware of Manhole...

2009-10-13T10:43:00.010-04:00

I dreamed I was skating along a road that started to go downhill, when suddenly I fell into a manhole... I was then in a dark tunnel that quickly became narrower and narrower until it was crawlspace only... There was a very long trail of people behind me and a few in front of me... It was so dark and constricting, I could barely breathe and it was getting hotter and hotter... I was sure I was going to have a panic attack and hyperventilate or suffocate when finally we reached a small opening that led up to another manhole-- covered by a grate that I could see people walking over... I was so relieved to be near the front of the line so I could breathe the little bit of fresh air coming in from the manhole... but there were so many people behind me still suffocating in the dark... Then I noticed the silence. All these people behind me were on the verge of death yet nobody said a word, suffering instead in complete silence... Then I noticed that the few people in front of me who were actually close enough to the escape and had breath enough to cry out for help did not...! All I could think in my weakened condition was "...people are dying down here!...why are you not crying out for help?!"

Then I woke up...

It was one of the worst feelings I have ever experienced in a dream, and I believe I was allowed to feel it for a few reasons... to have deeper understanding of those who feel so deeply entrenched in a "manhole" they no longer have breath enough to cry out... to encourage those who do have breath and nearness enough, to cry out... and to not be, myself, as one walking over the grate unaware of the desperate need to help... but to cry out, myself, for those who, tragically, cannot...

Cliff Hanger...

2009-10-07T20:58:00.015-04:00

Last night I dreamed I was on a cliff with a man from my past... The cliff was actually a small ledge on the side of a steep mountain overlooking a bottomless canyon... The man from my past was afraid of heights and was frozen solid against the wall of the mountain refusing to get near the edge of the cliff. I kept extending my hand to him reassuring him we would be fine but his fear of falling kept him paralyzed. Finally, I became exasperated trying to help him and said "Then what are we doing here?!" And with that, I flew away...

I then saw him from a higher vantage point... still standing alone on the ledge... and since it was not humanly possible to scale the steep mountain, the only escape from that ledge was death itself...

When I looked again I saw his clothes covered with graffiti...

Then for one brief moment I saw a friend of mine named James... and then I woke up.

After a moment, I realized that James represented the book of James and one very relevant verse I know by heart. James 1:27: "Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." I slowly began to understand... The man from my past had been spiritually abandoned by his parents... leaving him distressed and stained by the world and ultimately a spiritual orphan... I reached out to him with 'pure religion' ...caring for him in his distress... but if he will not take the necessary leap of faith off that ledge... I can do nothing more...
　

New "Formula One Life" blog...

2009-09-24T00:12:00.002-04:00

Please take a moment to check out (and bookmark!) the new "Formula One Life" blog where all news, updates and photos from past and future trips will be posted! Thank you!

http://www.formulaonelifeblog.blogspot.com/

Holy Smoke...!!

2009-07-15T21:49:00.022-04:00

Last Sunday in Rome, my dear friend, Ana and I went to a beautiful Mass, a beautiful dinner and then on a beautiful walk along Via Del Corso... when suddenly we came upon this masterpiece of "chalk art" on the sidewalk! It was a copy of Caravaggio's "Dinner in Emmaus" where Jesus was recognized by the apostles only after breaking and blessing the bread... I started taking pictures... first one, then two... then on the third I asked Ana to take one with me in it... and this SMOKE shows up in the picture!! I looked at Ana and she looked at me, and we knew it was something divine-- especially after all our spiritual conversation that day. Then it hit me: Father, Son... and on the third shot-- Holy Ghost... coming right out of Jesus' image and hovering between Ana and me as she took the picture!! "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in their midst." (Matthew 18:20) ...and if you don't believe that, check out this sequence!

Take one...

Take two...

Take three!! (...and no- no one was smoking!)

...and right after the Holy Trinity... ;-)

...a kind passerby took this last one of the two of us...

And that concludes another awesome layover in the eternal city...!

Arrivederci!

Testing... the Waters...

2009-07-07T12:07:00.016-04:00

During crew break on my last flight to Tel Aviv...

I dreamed I was a passenger sitting in the front row on some sort of simulator... The Captain, sitting right in front of me, turned around and asked, “Are you ready?” I nodded I was, but before I could even take a breath to prepare myself, the bottom fell out from beneath us and we were plunged deep into raging white water rapids... Far beneath the water’s surface, we were propelled along at an enormously high speed, and I was convinced I would die crashing into one of the many jagged rocks around us... Then I saw bubbles leaving the mouth of the man sitting next to me, and I realized I was about to drown, myself... But just as my own breath expired, to my amazement, I found I could somehow breathe under water! The next thing I knew I was walking up a long corridor coming from beneath the ground and leading into the light... I was still dripping from the water, but instead of looking drenched and exhausted, I was glistening, refreshed and invigorated! There were two people waiting for me at the end of the tunnel-- one of my best friends and one friend from work whose name is Angela... Angela was beaming and asked me excitedly, “How did it go??” My best friend looked at me in serious anticipation, awaiting my reply... Then I woke up.

Once again, only now that I write it down, do I understand this dream more in depth... It is obviously a dream of testing. I have had one of the most challenging seasons of my life, spiritually, so I believe God is confirming that I have indeed been put to the test... and by Him- the Captain. But He is also such a loving God that He has protected me from every jagged edge on the course... And while in the depths of despair, when I realized I could no longer breathe on my own, He was and always is the breath of life needed to survive... It is sad to note that I came out of that tunnel alone. The man next to me did not make it. But it is also important for me to understand why I didn’t hear my own answer to the angel’s question (see my “What’s in a Name” post!). “How did it go??” God is leaving that up to me... as my friends look on to see how my faith holds up beneath the surface and under pressure...

This morning, in the book of Job, I saw this side note by Max Lucado. “A time of suffering... may prepare us for a time of counsel...” Since none of us will get through this life without a serious crisis or two, we must counsel each other through the raging waters... to hold onto the life preserver of faith and keep breathing by Him... and to resurface in time a survivor... refreshed as a fresh water pearl...

Across the Judean Desert...

2009-07-02T19:12:00.055-04:00

On another Tel Aviv layover, I took another awesome day tour... this time to Masada and the Dead Sea! I can’t believe how many bible stories I passed along the way– from the Road to Emmaus (where Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection), past Bethany (where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead) along Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives (where Jesus ascended into heaven) and then (only minutes later!) into the Judean Desert (where Jesus was tested)! We then passed Jericho and the very caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered until reaching the beautiful blue Dead Sea – across which lie the Jordanian mountains of Moab (from whence came the book of Ruth!)

The Dead Sea... (through the bus window!)

For those of you who don’t know, the Dead Sea is so named for the fact that nothing can live in it due to its’ extremely high salt content. I found it particularly amazing that the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were also located here-- in the lowest and saltiest place on earth (remember Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt after looking back...?!) ...and it is, indeed, largely “deserted” to this day!

We first ascended Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea, built between 37-31 BC by King Herod (!) as a palatial fortress for himself in the event of a revolt... He never did use it but sent his wife there, instead (and then later killed her, too!). It is most known, however, for its use by a group of Jewish rebels and their families, who in 66 AD– during the First Jewish-Roman War and after the destruction of the Temple– fled Jerusalem and settled on the mountain top, using it as a base to fight the raiding Roman Empire.

The ancient ruins of Masada...

Awesome mosaic floor from the Byzantine period!

The oldest synagogue in the WORLD... and the most posh place for Bat Mitzvahs, today! ;-)

...wait- I wasn't ready! ;-)

The tower window...

The end of the story is tragic... The Roman troops surrounded Masada by the thousands and built a ramp by which to storm the fortress... The Jewish freedom fighters, seeing their inevitable fate, decided they preferred death to surrender... And so 900 men, women and children committed mass suicide, together on the mountain plateau. The conquering Roman soldiers burst onto the scene to find nothing but dead bodies, a burning fortress and silence... Today Masada is a Jewish cultural icon and symbol of Jewish freedom from oppression. An absolute must see if you ever go to Israel!

After descending Masada, we drove just a few minutes down the road to the world famous En Gedi spa with mineral mud baths and beach access to the Dead Sea.

The lowest place on the PLANET-- 420 meters (1200 ft.) below sea level!

Unfortunately, no one told me to bring a one piece bathing suit, so when I saw the “conservative undertone” of everyone else, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it in a bikini (lol!). So I coated just my arms and legs and looked ridiculous like everyone else for a few minutes before rinsing off...only to then see another woman from our group going topless! Frankly I found the whole mud bath experience totally overrated and a little... gross!

My friend, Leonardo- getting a little dirt beneath his nails! ;-)

Floating in the Dead Sea, however, was awesome... but don’t shave your legs before you go! and don’t go under!! (Why do I have to learn everything the hard way?!) Nothing can sting your eyes like the wicked salty waters of the Dea Sea!

...yes, I floated, but I'm not posting me in a bikini! ;-)

I stole a couple salt crystals off an immersed bicycle exhibit and a floating barge with a fresh water hose (for those who make the mistake of going under!) :-0

Finally, we headed home and made one stop where I was able to hop on a camel for a ride around the gas station... lol! It was scarier than it looks!

...thank goodness it's over! lol!

Private Message with Priority...

2009-07-02T10:22:00.005-04:00

I was actually in the Holy Land when I had this dream a few days ago...

I dreamed I was in the Holy Land, so I really wanted to hear from Jesus while I was in town. I mentioned it to someone who was very close to him, and the next thing I knew, I had a voicemail from Jesus on my cell phone! I was so excited that the most famous person in the universe called me on my cell phone that I was going around to everyone saying “Do you want to hear Jesus’ voice...?! Here– listen...!!” The only problem was, I never did hear the message myself! Then I woke up...

The first thing I thought of was the time I got a personal voice mail from Benicio Del Toro- who was trying to reach his friend who was with me, at the time, without his own cell phone. I listened to that message over and over! lol! But now– and only as I write this down– I am beginning to understand the missed message from my dream... If I was that excited about listening to Benicio del Toro’s voice, how much more excited should I be about listening to God’s voice! Yes, I was excited to know I had a message from Him, but I failed to listen to it... I have always been challenged in the listening department, as I’m sure I have at least a slight case of ADD... But still, I can do better, and I must do better– most certainly when it comes to listening to His voice (...mail! ;-)

God knows I want to share His message with others-- as I did in my dream-- but a good messenger must always first get the message, herself... ouch. :-0 ...message received!

A Beautiful Day in the Holy Land...

2009-06-12T22:29:00.068-04:00

Well, I finally made it to the most famous place on earth... On a day trip from Tel Aviv, I managed to make it to not only Jerusalem but Bethlehem, too! We started out at the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem and the garden of Gethsemane. Twenty thousand tombstones line the hillside facing the Temple Mount– with ancient souls waiting to be among the first raised from the dead on the last day according to Scripture... This is also the place from which Jesus is said to have ascended into heaven...and there are a few different churches that mark the spot...!

(I don't want to know what that man is doing...! :-0)

We continued on to the Old City and the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall)– the closest accessible site to the holiest spot in Judaism– the Foundation Stone on the Temple Mount-- which of course is occupied by the Dome of the Rock mosque... (incidentally, did you know the term Palestine comes from the biblical Philistine? ...how history repeats!)

Fortunately, I came prepared with my hotel notepad which served as a prayer tablet for the whole group! I started to stress out, though, over the writing of the prayer– like it was my one and only chance to write the perfect letter to God and I should have started it weeks ago...! Needless to say I was the last one in the group to finish tucking my prayer into the Wailing Wall– where there was actually a woman wailing next to me... making it hard to concentrate on my own prayer! The whole thing was rather surreal, actually... and of course I forgot to back away from the wall and so had a huge overreaction as I did an about face and then overcompensated by "backtracking" way past the backwards zone! :-0

Afterwards, we walked along the Via Dolorosa where the Stations of the Cross are marked with chapels of prayer...

The Fifth Station, Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the cross...

Modern day Via Dolorosa...

We ended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre- a massive monastery encompassing the sites of both Jesus’ crucifixion and entombment. Again there is some debate among Christians as to the exact location of Jesus’ tomb, but it is universally accepted that this is indeed the site of ancient Golgotha (place of the skull) where Jesus was crucified. This was another very surreal experience as flocks of tourists buzzed about, like me, praying and picture taking, trying to strike a balance between reverence and capturing such a moment as an eternal keepsake... In retrospect, I wish I had just put my camera away...

The stone beneath the altar marks the place of Jesus' crucifixion...

The Anointing Stone- on which Joseph of Arimathea anointed Jesus' body before entombment...

...the tomb of Jesus...

Finally, we drove about 15 minutes down the road to Bethlehem. Sadly, our Israeli guide was not able to enter into the Palestinian territory with us, so were handed over to a Palestinian guide outside the secured entrance. Once inside, we stopped for a quick photo op. with the "little" town of Bethlehem in the background...

and then went straight to the Church of the Nativity...

...and made a grand entrance! (ok- I missed the story behind the door..!?)

Inside we witnessed the very place where Christ was born... appropriately marked by a beautiful star on the earth...

...and a few feet away, where he laid in the manger...

For many people, the Holy Land experience is once in a lifetime... It was a blessing, indeed, to see it once... but I’m hoping, myself, to make it back at least once more... Shalom!

Shadows...

2009-06-03T09:28:00.007-04:00

On the way to church, Sunday, I saw this on my leg...! My Italian rosary- a very special gift which has been my road companion for 12 years- reminding me that shadows are a part of life... though some shadows are more protective than others... This one has taken the wheel to save me many times, both on the road and off...

All Things Israeli...

2009-06-02T11:22:00.036-04:00

It’s the strangest thing, this job... You are handed a schedule, and from one day to the next, a once foreign land, culture and people are suddenly a part of your world... That is how Israel popped into my life, last month!

Here are a few pictures from Tel Aviv’s famous market... I thoroughly enjoyed the friendly Israeli merchants, the amazing Dead Sea products and, of course, the freshest, most delicious produce from a land that is blessed, indeed!

Stand by for pictures from Jerusalem... coming in June! :-)

...to die for delicious!

...birds think so, too... (zoom in!)

...love the camouflage yarmulke!

...I knew menorahs were Jewish, but I thought chalices were Catholic...!

...I would fail this test with flying colors... :-0

...olives and oil from the Holy Land... you can't beat that! Shalom!

First Communion...

2009-05-30T23:11:00.028-04:00

My beautiful niece and God daughter, Martina, celebrated her First Holy Communion last week...

...with her beautiful parents in our beautiful "churcheteria" ... church coming soon!

...with big sis and best friend, Melinda...

...with aunt Mary & Fr. David- pastor, neighbor and friend... :-)

3's in the Holy Land...

2009-05-21T16:32:00.030-04:00

I had the most awesome trip to Israel last week... On a 36 hr. layover, I managed to meet a new Muslim friend on the way to Jerusalem where I had dinner with my Christian friend (a priest, no less! ;-) then made a Jewish friend the next day in Jaffa! What a tri-cultural trip! The "3" of them made me remember my first trip to Israel a couple years ago, when an ATM gave me 300 shekels instead of the 400 I requested (300 was not even an option)... then later that day I opened my Bible to see "...to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver..."(Gen. 45:22) ...I still have that ATM receipt!!

p.s. I only have a few pictures from Jaffa, here, but I’ll get more on my next trip– tomorrow! :-)

View of Tel Aviv from Jaffa...

St. Peter's of Jaffa... so named because "Tabitha" was resurrected in Jaffa by the hand of Peter (Acts 9:36) who later had a vision (in Jaffa) teaching him to make no distinction between Gentiles and Jews...(Acts 10:9)

Main plaza in Old Jaffa...

The oldest port in the world... Jonah set sail from here! ...and King Solomon received the cedars from Lebanon, here, for the building of the Lord's Temple (both the first & the second) in Jerusalem...!

Quaint street in Old Jaffa...

Avi, my Jewish friend and photographer! ;-)

Stars and more Stripes...

2009-05-17T21:45:00.039-04:00

I went to San Diego for my cousin’s wedding last week... The wedding was held on the Naval Submarine base, since my cousin is in the Navy and her father a retired Captain and Chief of Staff of this particular Naval base! Anyway, my uncle was kind enough to arrange a private submarine tour during our stay...

In short, the tour was absolutely amazing... The infinite number of control boards, computers, knobs and buttons everywhere you turn for the entire length of the submarine and on multiple levels (not to mention a few serious missiles here and there!) was utterly overwhelming... The crew of the USS Jefferson City gave us the royal treatment and freedom to tour nearly every part of the ship– barring the nuclear power facility and a few other classified nooks and crannies! Of course, it didn’t hurt that my uncle was in full uniform with plenty of stars, stripes and ribbons! I was so proud as he crossed the platform, honorably saluted and grandly announced with four bells (which ironically means “emergency” on an aircraft– but I guess having a Captain drop in for a visit can certainly be considered an “emergency” to some!)

After an experience like this one, I am truly at a loss for words to express my gratitude to all our service men and women who spend their lives defending ours... So if you are one of those in service, no matter how many stripes you have or what color they are... I respectfully and gratefully salute you...

No bells for the stewardess... darn!

Going down the hatch...this is harder than it looks!

Offering my expert navigation... horizontal is bad enough!

Look out-- Mom's on watch!

Captain and Commander!

Go Navy!!

Ay ay, Uncle Tom!

The Captain's Stripes...

2009-05-05T19:22:00.003-04:00

Last night I had a dream about stripes... (For the precursor to this, see my “wings” dream!)

In my dream, I saw a white blazer sleeve with four white stripes... and I heard a voice talking about blue stripes vs. white stripes... The white ones were of a much higher rank- though nearly invisible on a white sleeve... Then I heard the voice say that some people go after the lower ranking blue stripes simply because they are more visible. And then I heard one last word on stripes- as in the ones Jesus suffered before moving way up the ranks...!

I think it’s pretty clear who the four striped “Captain” in white is, here... and what He’s saying: No visible stripe on a uniform will ever secure a position in His ranks. To the contrary, the invisible stripes that He alone can award are the ones that matter most. And stripes of persecution “for righteousness’ sake” are indeed the highest ranking of all...

Flight of Reflection...

2009-04-29T23:50:00.015-04:00

I dreamed I saw two flight attendants in the forward galley of a plane... They were standing near the cabin keenly observing the passengers- though none of the passengers seemed to notice the flight attendants at all. One of the attendants was holding a small mirror-- reflecting light rays onto passengers, while the other attendant gave seat numbers and coordinates. They then zeroed in on one man in particular reading a newspaper. I heard the “coordinating” flight attendant speaking in a very soft but serious tone to the mirror holder, saying, “...up a little, now over, that’s it, right there...” And then I saw an intense light ray pinpointing the man’s heart. After a few moments, the man seemed to perceive something, for he started shifting uneasily in his seat. But the light reflecting attendant kept the light straight on his heart. Finally the man was so uncomfortable in the “hot seat” that he actually swatted at something in the air... but he still couldn’t see the light... or the flight attendant shining it ... Then I woke up.

What I just came to realize is that I was actually in this dream... holding the mirror... trying to shine my light on someone who used to call me “angel” but sadly never did see my light...

Wings...

2009-04-24T15:14:00.020-04:00

Yesterday I was passed over for the position of international service manager. A dear friend and fellow flight attendant- who was equally shocked at my being passed over– assured me it could be for no reason other than “politics as usual.”

I went to bed deeply disillusioned to say the least... Then I had a dream. In my dream, I saw a wooden plaque that had been broken into pieces... and a pair of hands carefully putting the pieces back together. One piece was picked up off the ground, and I saw on it the engravement of a wing. The hands were lovingly resetting the wing on the plaque... until soon the plaque was completely repaired showing a beautifully engraved set of wings. Then I woke up.

I was moved to tears by the divine comfort of this dream... The loving hands of a carpenter repairing my wings... wings engraved even on a beautiful, wooden plaque... and wings of far more importance than the fake gold ones pinned on me by human hands.

Thank you Lord for giving us YOUR wings... wings that will never be clipped by any human hands... "For they will soar high on wings like eagles..." Isaiah 40:31

What's in a Name...?

2009-04-13T18:31:00.005-04:00

I found myself wondering why a certain “Angie” from my childhood– who I haven’t spoken to in 20 years- spoke the main line in my last dream... and why another “Angie” from childhood had poignantly appeared in my glass house dream... and then the obvious hit me: Angela... angel. But then (almost jokingly!) I found myself wondering why God hadn’t used my cousin, Angela, instead of two Angie’s I hardly know anymore... Would you believe, my cousin Angela sent me a forward today- a petition for the sovereignty of Florida- almost in direct reply to my last "city-state" dream of which she knew nothing! I signed the petition, of course, and marveled at the Angelic confirmations!

p.s. the day after I posted "Buying Time" with the city-state reference, my mother heard on the news that certain cities are going to start printing their own currency!

Buying Time...

2009-04-07T17:25:00.002-04:00

March 2009

I dreamed I was on a field trip of sorts... with one of my best girlfriends, my sister and a friend from childhood. Our teacher had us lined up in pairs, and my girlfriend, Ana, and I were the last pair in line. We were lagging behind at one point trying to look at some pretty shoes in a shoe store, until the teacher said firmly “Let’s go girls! There’s no time for that!” We quickly got back in line and continued following the teacher. The pair in front of us was a couple of men. They were clowning around, and the teacher said to Ana and me, “Those two are in big trouble when we get home.” Farther ahead of us were a couple of children, who kept wandering off to the left and right of the line. The teacher spoke again to Ana and me, “Do not let those children out of your sight!” We listened and kept close watch on the children...

Later we were on a bus headed home, and my sister and I were sitting next to each other comparing notes on what God had said to us during the trip... My sister, Michelle, said “Angie got a word– a date– from God.” I knew that Ana had also gotten a calendar date from God, so I asked excitedly, “What was it?? Ana got one too!” And Michelle said that Angie heard, “November 24th, 10 years from now, you will have to start buying time in slices... from your city-state.” It was the same date Ana had received, and I then realized it was an indication of the end times. I immediately thought, “Why am I so concerned with having a baby-- who might not live past the age of 10... when there are so many children in need right now...” Then I woke up.

My first thought on waking was that the world was going to end in just over ten years! But I quickly remembered the scripture that only the Father knows the exact day and hour of the world’s end. (Matthew 24:36) Still, the dream was a clear warning sign of the times... and of the precious, little remaining time we are too often spending on material things (...like shoes, in my case!). The “Teacher” cautioned us, instead, to be greatly concerned for the children, while commenting also on those in trouble when we got “...home.” The city-state reference was a mystery to me... though I had a vague idea of what it might mean due to our growing identity crisis as a nation. So I prayed for more understanding...

This morning I opened my Bible and saw this: “Then Jesus criticized the cities where he did most of his miracles, because the people did not change their lives and stop sinning... ‘How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! ...on the Judgment Day it will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to the depths. If the miracles I did in you had happened in Sodom, its people would have stopped sinning, and it would still be a city today.” (Matthew 11:20-23) Clearly, the Lord is considering cities- even towns- as small groups to be dealt with according to their sinfulness. I then did a keyword search on “city-state” and found this: “Historical city-states include... the Phoenician cities of Canaan (such as Tyre and Sidon).” Talk about confirmation!

In reading further, I learned that the historical Italian City States were a flourishing and “remarkable political phenomenon” which came to rise after the fall of the Roman Empire. I could not help recalling talk of “seceding from the union” recently heard at Tea Parties across our crumbling American Empire. And after reviewing some modern day examples of city-states, is it any wonder that one of the strongest city-states in the world, recognized even as a sovereign country, is Vatican City– where God’s law (though tragically broken throughout history) is literally the law of the land.

Whether the message here is that city-states are on the American horizon...or that God recognizes us on an individual basis regardless of our collective shared space... or both... one thing is clear. Our national blessing “God bless America” is falling through the cracks of an increasingly divided United States. The melting pot is melting down, our core ingredients watered down in a bland melange of people with little to no zest for life or its’ worth. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything... except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (Matthew 5:13).

America and the world are running out of salt... and time... Very soon it may be through prayer and supplication only that we can even hope to buy slices of time.... on and under God’s close watch.

~Mary Beth Lavin

Running the Human Race...

2009-04-07T17:04:00.000-04:00

March 2009

OPERATION CREATION
The Eve of Man’s Manipulation

Dying for designer genes
Trying every new pair
Acid washed, custom made
Branded DNA wear

We the people have a greed
A better breed’s the answer
Our self-enhancing power only
Spreading like a cancer

Scientists increase their scope
Scalpels, needles, knives
Off they go down the slope
Crashing into lives

They break into the master plan
And make a master copy
They try to freeze a mortal man
And throw away the floppy

Oh highest tech intellect
Think about the scar
Think before dissecting us
Controlling who we are

You scrub away and scour
And carefully inspect us
With microscopic power
You claim you can perfect us

So slipping down the slope we go
To the deep abyss below
Design a mind, create a face
A polished, finished human race...

copyright Mary Beth Lavin/Lavinia Publishing 2009

Glass House Af'fairs'...

2009-04-07T16:59:00.002-04:00

Jan. 23, 2009

A recent dream...

I was in a glass house on the beach, right at the water’s edge. I was standing in the house with my best friend from my Catholic elementary school- whose parents owned the house. Right next to the house was an amusement park with plenty of people and rides in full swing. I was watching with growing apprehension as the ocean waves crashed against the glass house and swirled around the fairgrounds– which were not grounds but sand. The fair goers, however, were oblivious as they were all riding the rides high above the waters. I asked my friend, incredulously, “Don’t your parents realize this house is not safe?” She looked sad and did not answer. We climbed the stairs to the second floor and stood in her parent’s bedroom furnished with only an empty bed. Then we went up to the attic and stood in her childhood bedroom. I continued watching the turbulent waters below which were steadily rising and said, “You have to get out of here!” Then I asked, “Where are your parents? Where is your mother?” She answered that her mother was at the af'fair' with Barack Obama. Then I woke up.

Only after days of reflection did I begin to understand this dream more in its entirety. The turbulent waters and fragile glass house are clearly a sign of the times. As a nation, we have become as flimsy, unprotected houses on shifting sand, paying no attention to the foundation of our homes or our lives. Instead, we have been at the fair “riding high” on the pleasure principle for a long time. And now the majority, Christians included and even many of our own parents--or teachers, are lost in a love affair with a mere man who has been called a savior. In these times of unforeseen foreclosure, can we foresee that we, as a country, risk losing our home... and much more, until we return to building on higher ground and the solid foundation of God...

~Mary Beth Lavin

Class Division...

2009-04-07T16:57:00.004-04:00

November 2008

The night of the presidential election, when it was clear who would become the next U.S. president, an airplane flew into my head. Apart from the obvious interpretation of national insecurity, I perceived another meaning in very plane language: First class will always be outnumbered by economy... Indeed, with this election, the economy Americans have spoken-- putting the economy before the value of life and its' protection.

I can only say I am proud to be in the minority of first class on this flight... for true wealth is measured in much deeper values...

~MB

Weak Walls and Whitewash...

2009-04-07T16:34:00.001-04:00

August, 2008

A few nights ago, at the Saddleback debate, McCain said something that left me a little uneasy... He said we should "eliminate" evil wherever it arises... which makes me very weary at the thought of more war. I found myself between a rock and a hard place on the war issue, since obviously all Christians want peace... but how do you keep the peace in the face of evil like 9/11? So I decided to pray for God’s counsel on this...

This morning, I opened my Bible and found my finger laying on this verse:

Ezekiel 13:10-12

10 " '...they lead my people the wrong way by saying, "Peace!" when there is no peace. When the people build a weak wall, the [false] prophets cover it with whitewash to make it look strong.11 So tell those who cover a weak wall with whitewash that it will fall down. Rain will pour down, hailstones will fall, and a stormy wind will break the wall down.12 When the wall has fallen, people will ask you, "Where is the whitewash you used on the wall?"

That was enough confirmation for me! No whitewashing the White House! Clearly John McCain- committed to a strong defense of life on all fronts- gets my vote!

~MB

The Golden Gate(s)...

2009-04-07T16:18:00.000-04:00

May 2008, Rome

A few days ago I had a strange dream...

I was on one side of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco– which is strange because I’ve never been to the Golden Gate bridge. The bay was dangerously high and regularly flooding the bridge, so that the only way to cross it was to sort of ride the waves and hope the water would carry your car safely to the other side.

That worked for a while until the bridge was completely covered and impassable. It was then that a sort of lift was created to carry individuals across, one by one. The lift required each passenger to travel in a certain safety position, which was, specifically, kneeling with your face down. Anyone who was not in this position was removed from the lift. The lift conductor then told me that a huge storm was coming when not even the lift would be operating... He pointed on a calendar to the numbers 9, 10 & 11... then I woke up.

~MB