A Story all of the Golfers will be jealous of... admit it! (Aug '04)

My brother, just about an hour ago, experienced a once in a lifetime moment... and he just called to brag about it. I have to share it with those who would appreciate it!

My brother Loren lives close to the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in McKinney TX (just north of Dallas). On his days off he'll go over to hit a few at the driving range, meet w/ an instructor, etc. Today he was out w/ one of the instructors hitting a few. After a few hits he heard a golf cart coming up the path behind him... but it wasn't the quiet electric kind. It was a gas powered one... putt, putt, putt.... And he almost stopped so as not to be bothered but decided since this was instruction he'd use it as a learning moment - thinking to himself "Let's just see how well I do w/ this type of noise in the background." And he hit it... about 280 yards. Something to be proud of for a simple guy out to learn a bit more about golf.

Right after the cart passed, his instructor walked back towards him from the other side of the golf path and quietly muttered "The best golfer in the universe just watched you hit that!" (Stunned....) Loren says "Huh?!" His instructor says.... "Tiger just craned his neck as they drove by to watch your entire swing!" (Stunned...) Loren asks "Tiger Woods?!" Affirmative...

Loren (the entrepreneurial pilot that he is) immediately started thinking of ways he could talk Tiger into hiring him as his personal pilot - because it's so much better to have a pilot who is also a golfer, no?!

The Tisdales' Summer Vacation (July '04)

SASSY greetings from (does anyone else see a pattern here?!) Sacramento, Seattle's Space Needle and Smelly Pike's Fish Market, the 'rents in Salem and the nearby Silver Falls, the gigantic Redwoods where we posed next to fallen giants, a Stop in Santa Rosa due to rush hour traffic where we found Starbucks and yummy steak, San Francisco's foggy coast, beachy and weird Santa Cruz (there was even a t-shirt hanging in Bookshop Santa Cruz that said "Keep Santa Cruz Weird!"), familiar San Luis Obispo... and quite a few Starbucks along the way!

On our trip we searched out Starbucks (obviously) and Sunflower Seeds... accompanying the Search there was Singing to homemade CDs, frequent Stops for Snapping of photos, Speeding and Snoring (but not Simultaneously) and even a birthday Surprise for a "kindergarten" friend at the Santa Cruz boardwalk! The pattern? The "S"... we don't yet know what it means... but the "S" was following us around like a fly on ... oh never mind.

Of course along the way we found at least one dumpy hotel to sleep in for a night... and at least two restaurants that didn't take debit/credit cards! Eventually we got used to not checking email everyday and not having our fingertips attached to our keyboards for news or web alerts, instant updates, etc... it took some time... but we got used to it. You all should try it sometime!

Driving South on the 1/101 route was simply breath-taking! Starting in Lincoln City, OR... we found our way in and out of towns with posted speeds limits of 15 mph... and wondered at least once why we hadn't done that yet in our lifetimes.

As we started to see the San Diego freeway signs last night on the last leg of the trip we got a bit loopy and started making up new lyrics to the songs we'd listened to all trip. That's when we new it was time to be home for good (or at least for a good chill out session before we get going again today - we've got to turn in our film from the trip!). So, this morning we're doing laundry and listening to new music and hoping you all have a fantastic (and safe) 4th of July!

What's your next adventure?

See our favorite pictures at... click on an album and then on "Slideshow". Then you can pause/resume as you wish...
http://photobucket.com/albums/v330/MrsPhotog/Travels%20by%20Lori/Seattle%20to%20San%20Diego%20road%20trip%20-%202004/


Lori and Lee

Just a Taste of Florence (June '04)

Yes, just a taste... I can't post each and every picture... so I'll post an overview of sorts.

The countryside is just as beautiful as you can imagine... it was so picturesque that I was afraid to take a picture and therefore defile it! Seriously... my camera could not do justice to many of the sights we saw. Maybe it was the other senses taking over... beyond just the sight... that brought it all together so harmoniously! Whatever it was... only part of Florence can be shown through pictures. You must just go and experience it for yourself!

Several of my lifetime dreams came to fruition on this trip. Ever since I was a kid I've wanted to take my very own picture of the Bell Tower in Pisa... I got to do just that... in fact, I think I spent a whole roll just getting different angles of the Tower. Without using internet resources, do any of you know how many times they've tried to correct the lean? It's been steadily leaning more and more over the years... and the tower was only given a short time to live before some GENIUS came in and decided to remove dirt from under the "good side" of the tower! This brought the tower to more of an upright position and also slowed the progress of further leaning substantially!

The architecture was more amazing and jaw dropping than I can put in words. But I do have a question... why we we keep building houses with materials that mold and rot and fall apart when these buildings built several centuries ago are still in such great shape?!

My fav picture from this trip (not based solely on content - but because of the feeling it gives me when I look at it) is the picture title "Ceiling1". This was at the entrance to the Boboli Gardens - an expansive garden with pathways hedged up to approximately 20 feet high. If I had that as my back yard I would be taking 3 hour walks every afternoon too! Gorgeous! And then you get to the top and see the view of "Villa" (very first picture) and wonder who lives over there across the valley. Let's go for a walk over there and introduce ourselves!

My second fav picture is the one of the broken rear view mirror on the Vespa parked in the middle of a lot of 100 Vespas.

Come on ... let's go rent Vespas and drive around for a few hours... Lori (and Lee)

Check out our pictures at... click on "Slideshow" and then pause/resume while you enjoy it...
http://photobucket.com/albums/v330/MrsPhotog/Travels%20by%20Lori/Florence%20Italy%20-%202004/

greetings from Caffe Caruso... (June '04)

Buon Giorno! Ciao!!!

Tutto bene... oops... forgot, I need to speak inglesé... ahem!

Quick hello ... here we sit, sipping on cappuccinos and taking in the italian air. Our journey here started off a little rough... we missed our connecting flight to Paris from Chicago... so were re-routed through Heathrow and then Milan and then finally to Florence about 12 hours after we should have arrived... and after being up and at it for almost 35 hours we were so glad to see hotel and shower!

But since then we have slowly wandered down dark alleys and found ourselves staring at magnificent pieces of art and even stumbled across an archaelogical dig right in the middle of town.

(Most of) The food is better than we could have imagined... and Lee, not formerly being a hardcore espresso fan, has fallen in love with italian espresso! Imagine my surprise when he was not directing his affections toward me one morning! He was vowing eternal love to his demitasse cup!

OK - enough of that... off we go to kiss in the courtyards and gaze into each other's eyes... blah, blah, blah...

Lori and Lee

Buon giorno!!! (May '04)

Good day! (in italian!)

You guessed it... today we leave for Italy! As many of you know, this has been a personal dream of mine for many years now... and I get to live it out w/ the love of my life! European travel is a first for Lee... but it feels like a second home to me. We look forward to falling in love w/ the tuscan countryside and maybe even some of the food and wine!

Can I take this time to wish all of you a safe holiday weekend... and are you ready for my usual "challenge"?!

Go! Get out there! Pursue your dreams... and watch them come to fruition! Start planning, make the goal and work towards it! There's really nothing like travelling to a foreign country to put our lives into perspective. We have so much and most of the time don't even realize it!!! Enjoy... make the most of it... and drag someone along w/ you... it's so much more fun that way!

God bless you all... pray for our safety! And we'll be in touch as soon as we get back... with lots of pictures in hand. By the way, Uncle Gary... I can't thank you enough for that cute little tripod... we're taking it with us to capture us holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Maybe that's what I'll name our next email "The Many Adventures of Tammy the Tripod!" :-)

Ciao, Lori and Lee

My Thoughts on Mel Gibson's "The Passion"...

As promised, I am writing to share my after-thoughts on "The Passion..."
Please know that this is simply my perception of this movie and history as
it happened. While it is written from the angle of hoping you will share it
with those who are curious about Christianity, it may answer some of your
questions as well. Please feel free to share this as appropriate. If I can
answer any questions or provide any Bible verses to back up Christ's life,
please let me know. If I can be in prayer with you about anything or anyone
- please let me know. But also know, I am no scholar - I am simply a girl
who knows how to read the Bible and use a concordance - so, let's look into
this together...
--------------------------------

Some may ask "What is the significance of this story in the first place?"…
believe me, you don’t really want this preacher’s kid to preach! But here
is my feeble attempt at sharing the quick version. Jesus’ birth, life,
death and subsequent resurrection was foretold by prophets some hundreds of
years before His time. Did you hear that?! His entire life was foretold!
Meaning, God knew it and spoke it through the Prophets of the Day that Jesus
would be born to a virgin, that He would live a sinless life, and yet be
convicted to death! You see, had He been a sinner then His death would not
have been to cover our sins. But since He was sinless at His death, it
turns out that His death served as retainer for our sins. He had to be
sinless to fulfill prophecy. Yet, just like you and me, He dealt with
temptation every moment of His life. In the movie you see Satan following Him, haunting Him, enticing Him to go against God’s will… however, Jesus knew what was being asked of Him… He knew what task was before Him.

It’s true what they say... after seeing "The Passion…" everyone walking out
of the theatre was speechless. I certainly didn’t feel like talking to
anyone (sorry to those friends I ran into outside – the fact that I wasn’t
"Chatty Cathy" wasn’t directed towards you)... anything I could have said at
that moment just would not have been too intelligible.

Is it as gruesome as the media is portraying it? Yes! It’s more blood and
violence than I’ve ever seen on a movie screen before... or anywhere else
for that matter! But I have to admit – it was exactly how I’ve envisioned
that day happening. Maybe that makes my state of imagination a bit ominous
to you. But, I believe that the written history was portrayed very well
here. And I don’t think even one second of it should have been omitted.
Sure - I cried... I wept, I felt guilty, I sobbed, I felt unworthy and
inadequate of His love... but I also admired His courage. No one else in
history has ever done this!

Is it anti-semitic? No. If someone finds the need to point a finger at the
group of people who killed Jesus... then let them point at ME! He did this
for me! To say this movie was "anti-" anything… one would have to call it
"anti-humanity". Let’s face it – He died for all of us. Not one of us is
perfect!

Most of the times when sharing my personal movie reviews with friends I
refrain from talking about how it ends... but I think most of us already
know the ending to this movie! And this is the most amazing part of this
historical event, right here unfolding before my eyes... are you ready? As
the story goes, He dies on the cross, you see Him take His last breath. He
was wrapped up and buried in a tomb... all of this being overseen by guards.

Three days pass and then an earthquake hits and mysteriously the stone
rolls away from in front of His grave… and JUST AS IT WAS FORETOLD hundreds
of years before He even came to earth, He is not dead! He is alive and
well... He walks right out of that tomb! (What is left out of the movie is
that later that day He visually appears to His disciples... showing them the
piercings in His hands and feet! He talks to them about what they need to
do daily as His followers.)

Sobbing there in the theatre … I found myself wanting to clap and holler and
jump up and down! I wanted to throw a party! I wanted to turn to the
stranger sitting next to me and ask if she understood what was going on in
that moment! I have to admit - just to see it on screen, in living color...
helped me comprehend to an even deeper level what it meant!

No matter if this movie serves as a catalyst for faith in Jesus Christ... or
if it merely causes others to question why they believe what they believe,
let it be known... The Truth has been told! We are now given the choice to
do whatever we want with this information. But what exactly was Christ's
passion? It is two fold... He wants us to love others and He wants us to
make disciples of others. Definition of "disciple" - "One who receives
instruction from another; a scholar; a learner; especially, a follower who
has learned to believe in the truth of the doctrine of his teacher; an
adherent in doctrine."

Yes, go see this movie! If you’re comfortable, offer to go with friends or
family or complete strangers who are still undecided about seeing it...
Most of all, be open to what Jesus wants to do in and through your life...
As it is written, He knew the days of your life before you were even in your
mother’s womb...

"The Passion" (Feb '04)

haven't seen the movie yet... but have been very moved by many things already. First, the fact that Mel Gibson has made himself a "disciple" of the single most powerful historical event. The disciples were called to lay everything down and "Follow Me...". Mr. Gibson says that since he took on this project that He has daily spent time in prayer and meditation, attending mass every day. Talk about "Following... "! What an example of a disciple! AND, he's spreading the Word as well! Before millions and millions of people! Not many people get that opportunity! And to note that all of Christ's disciples were as imperfect as you or I... each of them had their weaknesses, their flaws, their sins... they were liars, they stole, they cheated, they gossiped... yet, they were perfect for what Christ had in mind!

Secondly, working in a very conservative firm affords me the joy of seeing people who wouldn't normally be talking about religion at work doing just that! Talking about religion (and even their own personal beliefs) at work! Today, an associate (being of a middle eastern religion) asked me "Why did they crucify Him?" (OK - You know that excitement?! The one that welled up inside me... you know it!) What an opportunity - and a challenge! I explained a bit about His birth being prophesied - for the purpose of being crucified. But my associate wasn't happy with that. She wanted to know which law He broke that they would want to punish Him. I went on to explain the following...

Some of the history... first of all, the Chief Priests and Pharisees (loose definition in today's terms: legal analysts, also known as hypocrites) were scared to death of Jesus and the view society was getting of Him.

"If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation" (John 11:48). Why were they scared? Simple... Jesus was a threat to them... He threatened their way of life. After many conflicts over many years, the Sanhedrin (loose definition in today's terms: tribunal council) had managed to maintain a delicate balance with the Romans. The Romans just barely allowed the Jews to worship according to their tradition. But it wouldn't take much, the Sanhedrin reasoned, to upset that balance. They were deathly afraid that the Romans would see a mass "Jesus movement" as a threat to Caesar and in response would destroy the Jewish way of life.

Judas knew of the Sanhedrin's concern... and for 30 shillings he agreed to quietly tell them where to find Christ so they could arrest Him ... therefore "putting Him on trial". (First note: at that time, 30 shillings may have been worth about a year's wages. Second note: I'd also like to point out that shortly after Christ's resurrection, Judas returned the shillings... )

I explained Pilate's response to the masses that he found no fault in Him... but that he was so scared of his own life that he couldn't imagine what the people would do to him if he released Jesus instead of Barrabas. At this point, my associate told me she was getting the chills. Still amazed at this opportunity, I just kept talking. She asked about the robbers being hung at the same time. "What did they have to do with Jesus?" And so it continued...

I share all of this to encourage and challenge each of you to be prepared... be prepared to not only share the facts and the truth from the Word... but to share your story too. Beyond what the Bible says... what does your HEART say? What evidence do you personally have that Christ is who He says He is? Why are you a 21st century disciple? WHY do you believe that He was sent to this earth to die for our sins... and to be raised again? You WILL be questioned... you WILL be put on the spot... you MAY even be treated differently as a "Christian". Be prepared! This moment in time was planned out by God before you were even born!

What an awakening moment... to stand up for something you believe in. To be stuck in a moment of time where you have to answer for your life... and then to think none of us, not one, have lived our lives free of imperfection. ALL OF US have done something to fall short of God's glory... ALL of us have failed someone, something, at some point in history. And that's why Christ wants us on His side... isn't that exactly why He was put on that cross?!

I'm sure you'll all hear from me AFTER I've seen "The Passion..." as well... so, stay tuned...

Lori J. Tisdale (formerly Haraldsen)