Tuesday, February 13, 2007

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

CHRISTIE, JONATHAN, DAVID and NICKIE!




Zangy Comment Graphics

IT DOESN'T JUST SNOW IN DENVER!!



- The snow and wind forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights Tuesday and there will probably be more Wednesday.

Midway Airport actually had to shut down temporarily Tuesday night. No planes were allowed in or out. Some planes did start landing after 7 p.m., but there are still delays.

More than 900 flights were grounded at O'Hare Tuesday. And even the ones that did take off were between two and three hours late.

Travelers are being reminded to contact their airline prior to departing for the airport to check on the status of flights.

THIS IS WHAT THE WEATHER HAS BEEN TELLING US:

Winter storm warning now in effect
Lake effect snow will continue across northeast
illinois through wednesday morning. An additional
1 to 2 inches of snow is possible across western
will and western dupage counties, to as much as 3
to 5 inches of new snow accumulation across
eastern cook county. Storm total snowfall
accumulations by late Wednesday morning of 8 to 12 inches are
possible.
The lake effect snow bands will produce moderate
to heavy snow over small areas through the night.
Snowfall rates up to 1 inch per hour are possible
with the heaviest bands.
In addition to the new snow, north winds of 20 to
30 mph will cause significant blowing and
drifting snow.
Travel is discouraged tonight. If you must
travel, leave plenty of extra time to reach your
destination.
A winter storm warning means significant amounts
of snow, sleet, and ice are expected or
occurring. Strong winds are also possible. This will make
travel very hazardous or impossible. Stay indoors
and avoid travel if possible.




Lake Zurich snowfall level on car being cleaned.

























One Little Bluebird

A little bluebird spotted in a feeder in Lemont during the snow storm.

Sent in by Susan from Lemont.

TO READ? OR NOT TO READ.... OVER THE EDGE

OVER THE EDGE, by GREG CHILD



THE TRUE STORY OF FOUR AMERICAN CLIMBERS’ KIDNAP AND ESCAPE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL ASIA

Random House, Inc.

www.villard.com

Before dawn on August 12, 2000, four of America’s best young rock climbers, the oldest of them only twenty-five, were sleeping in their portal edges high on the Yellow Wall, in the Pamir-Ali mountain range of Kyrgyzstan, in central Asia. By daybreak, they would be taken at gunpoint by fanatical militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekisstan (IMU), which operates out of secret bases sin Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and which is linked to Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network. The desperadoes—themselves barely out of their teens—intended to use their hostages as human shields and for ransom as them moved across Kyrgyzstan. They hid the climbers by day and marched them by night through freezing, treacherous mountains, with little food, no clean water, and the constant threat of execution. The four would see a fellow hostage, a Kyrgyz soldier, executed before their eyes. And in a remarkable life-and-death crucible over six terrifying days, they would be forced to choose between saving their own lives and committing an act none of them thought they ever could.

In Over the Edge, the four climbers—Jason” Singer: Smith, John Dickey, Tommy Caldwell, and Beth Rodeden—finally tell the complete story of their nightmarish ordeal. In riveting detail, author Greg Child re-creates the entire hour-by-hour drama, from the first ricocheting bullets to the climactic and agonizing decision the climbers had to make in order to gain their freedom and survival. Set in a powder-keg region of narcotics trafficking and terrorism, this is a deeply compelling book about loyalty and the unshakable human will to survive.

Greg Child is the author of three books, most recently the climbing memoir Postcards from the Ledge, A mountaineer who has summated K2 and Everest, Child lives near Moab, Utah

TO READ? OR NOT TO READ.... BROTHER ANDREW

BROTHER ANDREW....

The Smuggler In Our Living Room

As a boy, Brother Andrew dreamed of being an undercover spy working behind enemy lines. As a man he found himself working undercover for God. His was a mission filled with danger, financed by faith, supported by miracles behind the Iron Curtain.

This is one of the best books I've read. It has inspired me to trust more in God to accomplish His will....realizing that I am but an instrument.

(David and I read this book together!)


Calling, The: A Challenge to Walk the Narrow Road

Author: Brother Andrew with Verne Becker
Number of Pages: 288
Publication Date: Oct. 02 Description: "Pay attention to the call of God in your everyday life-and then follow it. Because it is here that we can begin changing the world." ?Brother Andrew

Have you ever had someone say, "You can't do that"? That's what Bible smuggler Brother Andrew and persecuted Christians around the world often hear as they set out to do what God asks of them. But it doesn't stop them from answering The Calling-even when it may cost them their life!

What is God asking you to do for him? And how can you have the courage to follow through no matter what the circumstances?

In The Calling, you'll discover ten simple, straightforward steps for hearing God's voice, responding to his call, and spreading Christ's love in extraordinary ways. You'll be inspired by Brother Andrew's gripping true-life tales of bringing banned Christian literature into communist China, turbulent Africa, and repressive Muslim nations. And you'll gain courage from the amazing testimonies of people of different ages and cultures who are passionately living out their faith in spite of intense persecution.

Walk the narrow road and experience God's calling for yourself. Life will never be the same-and neither will you!

Author Information: Brother Andrew began his work in 1955 as a one-man mission-visiting, teaching, and taking Bibles to Christians behind closed borders. That work has since developed into Open Doors International, a nondenominational organization with bases around the world. When not traveling, Brother Andrew makes his home in the Netherlands.