Here at the Library we have just received another donation of books and dvds; our patrons are the very best anywhere as they continually help us. If these are duplications of existing books on the shelves, they are put up for sale, and the proceeds go to purchase some dvds or books that we do not have. As our purchasing budget has been cut in half, we are extremely grateful for the thoughtfulness of all.

As we had been out of town during the previous week and just returned Saturday afternoon, we decided to tour the Front Beach while the RV cooled. And I doubt that there was even an inch left of parking space there. Glad to see so many summer visitors and families picnicking, playing in the water and just enjoying the area; many were here also to watch the fire works and came early to get a good spot. And our fire works were pretty spectacular too. Our thanks to all involved.

A similar book to those of Ms. Dorothea Frank’s concerning family is How To Bake A Perfect Life as written by Barbara O’Neal. The title totally captivated me as did the book. Set in Colorado with a family totally engrossed in the restaurant business, the book starts with the teenage years of the elder daughter of the family. When she becomes pregnant at the young age of 15, she is sent to stay with her aunt in another town to have the baby and give it up for adoption. However, Ramona decides to raise the child and finish school with the help of her reluctant mother and grandmother. Throughout the book the author has included various recipes for making bread, and she subtly compares that activity with the life of her heroine and baby. Reading the book it becomes apparent how very difficult growing up and dealing with family issues is. A somewhat thought provoking book.

Lisa Scottoline is the author of a number of books concerning female attorneys in South Philadelphia, but her latest, Save Me takes a different path. Set in a suburban community in the North East, a young mother is forced to choose between the welfare of her child and that of other students. When an explosion in the cafeteria of the elementary school occurs, Rose McKenna, a Cafeteria Volunteer, is first “knocked out”, and then recovering, scrambles to care for two children, while she hesitates to rescue her daughter. But the public does not concur. Rose and her husband are threatened with criminal charges when one of the students is injured. Ms. Scottoline has the talent to write books that grasp your attention and hold it throughout the plot, and she has certainly succeeded this time.

Picked up a book entitled The Club as a result of the number of comments about this book and its humorous plot. This was written by Jane Heller whose previous book was entitled Cha Cha Cha (I’ve not read it), and I was extremely disappointed. I kept searching for the “funny stuff”, but either I’ve lost my “funny bone” or it just wasn’t there. Perhaps others will enjoy it; if so, I’d appreciate hearing or learning of their impressions of the book.

We have a number of books, both hard cover and soft cover, available for sale; at the prices of $1.00 for hardcover and $0.25 for the soft. They make excellent companions when you go on a trip and don’t want to worry about a due date from our Library. Do come and check them out! You won’t be disappointed.

“When an old person dies, a Library burns down”
Karin Gillespie

Dianna Stanger and Victoria Holt as they arrive at Alliance Municipal Airport in Nebraska ready to race!

As I stared down at the green fields with winding rivers that resembled snakes, I could not help but grin from ear to ear. It was difficult to envision that merely seven months ago this adventure seemed a lifetime away. Now there I was, aboard a Cessna Skylane182 in flight to Iowa City Municipal Airport (KIOW) from Calhoun County Airport (KPKV) prepared to embark upon a week of non-stop, aggressive promotion, in the midst of flying 4-5 hours a day! Our team, the Racing Aces, Dianna Stanger and Victoria Holt, had arrived a couple of days in advance in preparation for the 2011 Air Race Classic! Upon arrival their plane was inspected; they performed their handicap flight and the plane was quarantined. They were not allowed to even touch the plane until the start of the race which would not be for four more days!

One of the reasons I was ecstatic to begin promotion was the fact that the Air Race Classic (ARC) originated in 1929 as the Women’s Air Race Derby. In fact, Amelia Earhart was one of the first female pilots to compete in the cross country race. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot population is made up of ONLY 6 percent of female pilots. (I know what you’re thinking; I seldom use all caps, however in this case it is justified!) Therefore our mission was threefold: promote our team, the Racing Aces, the ARC and Girls With Wings (GWW), a non-profit organization which the Aces elected to sponsor through out the race. Together, we were set out to make an impact, introduce young girls to the promising avenues of aviation and share our passion for flight.

The Sunday prior to the race, we all mingled at a banquet where all of the teams were announced, presented with a special ARC pin and a lovely program was given. A very special instance was the presentation of ladies who have flown in 25+ races! I could not imagine the level of experience they must possess and found it amazing as they announced one of the ladies which has competed in 32 of the 35 ARC races! Unbelievable, another fact all of the teams found interesting was this year there were 11 collegiate teams competing. The most that have ever competed in one year! The room was electrified with everyone’s anticipation for the start of the ARC!

The Racing Ace’s first air race proved to be eventful. Due to forecast weather the race was delayed by one day; instead of beginning on Tuesday, June 21st, teams were released that morning following a morning briefing and instructed to meet at Alliance Municipal Airport (KAIA) in Nebraska. Whammy! It was official; the start of the race had been moved to KAIA. The pilots were not stopping in Brookings, SD; Jamestown, ND; Spearfish, SD; or Rawlins, WY. Double whammy! The 2,722-statute-mile race was shortened to 1,632 statute-miles; beginning in Alliance, NE and venturing through Great Bend, KS; Borger, TX; Norman, OK, and El Dorado, AR, ending with the terminus in Mobile, AL.

On Wednesday, June 22nd, the Racing Aces flew to Alliance for the start of the race in their plane, an Aviat Husky. The plane is similar to the original entries in the race as it is flown stick and rudder, no autopilot, and at a very slow speed. As the race is handicapped according to speed, an entry may be the last to cross the finish line and still win. With this in mind, the Aces decided that they would like to run a race dependent upon their flying skills alone and the great characteristics of the Husky. Our “PR plane” flew in just before the Aces arrived at KAIA; our goal was to take photographs and video.

As we arrived at the airport, the sight before us was amazing! There was a large crowd gathered to see the race commence; the apron was filled with planes! Everyone I spoke with informed me they had not seen that many aircraft gathered at the airport ever; the kicker is they were all female pilots! I quickly jumped out and began handing out postcards with information about our team and the race; people were friendly and I answered a ton of questions about the race. The Aces landed and as they jumped out of the Aviat they were greeted by a bunch of children, “Are you the Racing Aces?” they cried. “Can we have your autograph?” as they waved their postcards towards the female pilots. I was in heaven; these moments are when I thrive. One newspaper and television interview later the Aces were back in the Aviat ready to race!

Pilot, Dianna Stanger said, “The morning was heavily overcast and we had to dodge weather and fight the winds on our way. The flight that morning took us six hours and we arrived at Alliance only to be met with an audience. The airport was packed with people who were fans of the air race. Following refreshments and fuel we were ready to head out early in the afternoon to the first official race stop of Great Bend Municipal Airport (KGBD) in Kansas.”

The racers had been instructed that they could take off at noon from KAIA. The departure was rather informal in comparison to the manner the race is usually operated. You see, the teams are normally lined up according to their Classic Racer #, which is determined by their entry time. We so happened to be CR# 9! However due to weather, circumstances were quite unique. I was absolutely delighted as engines were started all around us and plane after plane began to line up down the runway. As they taxied out, I stood awe-struck. The first plane ascended and did a left turn circling back around towards the runway in preparation for the required fly-by as second plane took off, a number of planes anxiously waiting. Quickly, about 15 planes were all lined up, ready for take-off! The race had officially started!

I was saddened as Lynda Meeks, founder of GWW advised we should take off to Wyoming in order to make it in time for presentations which we had scheduled to give to two groups of young girls. I reluctantly boarded the Skylane before the Aces took off from KAIA; however as I filmed our departure from Alliance, I heard a familiar voice over the radio! And wouldn’t you know I was filming with a Contour GPS video camera which plugs in directly to your headset. One not only records video, but all voices transmitted on the radio. Talk about right place, right time! Dianna came on the radio announcing they were taxiing down the runway and preparing for their fly-by!

Beyond excited, we flew towards Wyoming, opposite the direction the Aces were headed. This was only the first day; I couldn’t wait to see what other developments lay ahead. Till next time, to view photos and more of the Racing Aces first competition in the Air Race Classic visit, www.TheRacingAces.com

The aircraft lined up and ready for take off at KAIA. What a sight!

A moment to cherish forever; all of the ladies competing in the 2011 Air Race Classic pose at Sunday, June 19th’s Banquet.

Participants in the Air Race Classic are limited to STOCK and minimally modified STOCK airplanes, certified in the normal or utility category with normally aspirated engine(s) of not less than 145 horsepower nor more than 570 horsepower, rated for continuous maximum operation and handicapped accordingly. The team with the highest score over their handicap wins. The race is flown in daylight hours and VFR (good weather) only.

Jeanette Castro

August 9, 1986 – June 25, 2006

“We miss you and love you, and always will.”

The old theologian Jonathan Edwards wrote, “Humility is the greatest and most essential thing in true religion.” All of God’s dealings with humanity from the beginning of time were to effect humility in their lives. Humility is God’s key to inner peace! You cannot obey without it! You cannot love without it! You cannot be who God made you to be without humility!

Lucifer, being created a special angel, allowed pride to arise in his heart. Pride was the root cause of the fall of Lucifer. The culminating war against God and his being cast out of Heaven was because of pride. God knows that if the devil can captivate our spirits and bend them toward pride, he has a great opportunity to devastate our lives. Everything that is good and wholesome and wonderful will be destroyed when pride enters the picture.

When pride enters a home, harmony between husband and wife is destroyed. Relationships between children and parents are destroyed. Sibling rivalry will be found in unhealthy proportions. Many homes are war zones simply because of pride.

Humility is not self-hatred or a lack of self-confidence. Rather, it is the ability to see oneself through God’s eyes. A humble person increasingly sees himself as he truly is, which lays the foundation for contentment and healthy self-esteem. In contrast, pride is spiritually blinding. In a demonic catch-22, pride causes us to chase our spiritual tails. We cannot see our pride because we are full of ourselves. Pride is a spiritual veil blinding us to the truth about ourselves.

Instead of contrition, pride leads us to self-righteousness; instead of recognizing the importance of God’s Word, self-righteousness cause one to despise it. Even when we Christians become deliberately disobedient because of pride, it keeps us from properly applying God’s truths to our personal lives and knocks us off balance. Ultimately, it leads us to a place where God truly needs to judge “those other folks”. – -We are so sure that we are so right that we need no personal judgement.

Since humility results in trembling at God’s Word, it brings us into real communion with God. It sensitizes us to His voice. It opens our ears to His instructions and deepens our gratitude. It leads us into greater dependence upon God because we know our desperate need for Him.

The proud do not know the depths of their sinfulness nor their need for God’s unlimited grace. The greater one’s humility, the more he will extract spiritual food. The growing humility will bring a foretaste of a deeper intimacy with God and those around us. There are endless examples of this in people we have read about who have given us themselves in humanitarian work.

As a pastor, one of my fundamental goals of discipleship is to help people grow in humility. When I simply want to make people happy, I make them unhealthy! Until we understand our need for change, which is an important step in humility, our self-esteem will flat-line!

To cultivate humility, we must first admit that we are proud, even if we cannot see obvious evidence of our arrogance. “Ask somebody!” is often the advice of those who do not know what to wear, but it is also the right question when we wish to grow in grace.

Everyone who sees the majesty of God will see himself with greater clarity. We must pray for spiritual illumination so we can see more of God in and through ourselves.

We need to immerse ourselves in God’s spiritual mirrors, which is God’s Word. When we contrast our “enlightenment” with God’s wisdom, our selfishness in light of God’s love, and our weaknesses in contrast to His strength, we will find a joy of self-confidence that we have aimlessly sought.

“No one has ever stood so tall as when he has bent his spirit to lift another’s!” Humility will help us become who God created us to be.

We trust that your Independence Day celebrations consisted of more than just “fireworks”! Yes, the community display was great and those around the Chapel put on a show that was also impressive. But, I believe that the 4th of July should also be about recognizing those, who not only won our freedoms, but those who keep winning them day after day. I happen to be in the “political camp” of those who believe that “fighting ‘them’ over there” keeps the peace here at home! I personally did not like being drafted out of college, nor did I rejoice the day our son joined the Army, but we gladly served because we believe that the fight is worth the sacrifice. Not only should we veterans remember those away from home this holiday, but I believe every American who remembers helps our nation stand taller!

We appreciate the opportunity to serve three fishing tournaments the weekend of June 26. We served Lagnippe, the Houston Big Game Shootout, and Pescado Grande. Our part was different for each event, but our community was blessed by our servicing. Thank you for allowing us to help; people in our community felt the blessing!

We helped celebrate the home going of two people connected with our congregation. On Monday, July 4, we attended the funeral of Jane Pongratz’s mom in Austwell. She had been a faithful member of the Methodist church in her community. I remember attending the Bible studies that she hosted weekly in her home. She will be missed, not only by those in her immediate family, but also in her church family.

Tuesday, July 5, we attended the funeral for Kathy Smith’s dad. He had served as a deacon in Seadrift Baptist Church for many years. He was a faithful “soldier of the cross”, and the appreciation of that community was evidenced at his celebration. His widow and their family are not the only ones who feel the void that has been left by his home-going.

The week of July 10-16 is extra large this year! Our special friend and frequent pulpit guest has been invited to preach the Community of Churches Revival in Port Lavaca during that week. We trust that everyone will get the opportunity to help support this revival effort with Evangelist Rod Vincent.

Wednesday through Saturday, we will be participating in Poco Bueno, as we have been doing for many years. Not only will we be helping clean the fish donated to the Chapel, but also gleaning the evening meals. This year, not only will we be helping local needy families, but we will also be assisting a rehabilitation center that many of you know. It is called “Strong Tower” and is located in Kerrville. It works with both men and women and also has a place for family treatment. Strong Tower has an effective cure rate of over 85%, in seeing those who complete the program becoming not only productive citizens, but also people who are working for the Lord’s Kingdom. They will be in service with us at the Chapel on Sunday, July 17, in the morning service.

Our Friday Night Youth activities for July 8 will be mainly outdoors events. All kids from this area are invited to come for a great evening of fun, food, and fellowship. Times are 7-10 p.m. The next Friday Night Youth event will be on July 29. We will not have FNY on July 15 because of our involvement with Poco Bueno. On the July 29 outing, we will be gathering at the Front Beach to meet kids from other communities. The activities will begin at 4:00 p.m. with a basketball tournament. Those interested should contact Patrick at 512-655-3357. There will be many different activities, concluding with a great Youth Service. If you miss this special event, you will have regrets!

Our next Captain’s Class, conducted by the Sea Academy, is scheduled for July 29-August 7, here at the Chapel. For additional information, please contact the Sea Academy at 361-758-6184 or the instructor, Captain Robert, at 361-816-3010.

At the Chapel, we have been having some exciting services, with an unusual number of guests. We are an interdenominational congregation who is in this community for one reason – to help people make Heaven their home! You will always find a warm welcome at the Chapel and are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”