Stepping out… past 70 – introduction

                                       

Hi everyone;

Welcome to my new blog, “Stepping Out…past 70.” A quick step into our latest adventures.

I bet you’re wondering about the title of this blog? Well, it all started as Bob (my husband) began planning an exciting new get-a-way to Mexico in January 2026. He booked an expedition to explore Carmen Island, a large UNESCO protected area situated in Baja California Sur, just off the coast of Loreto, Mexico. I was less than excited. This trip was to be a ten-day kayak trip covering about ninety-six kilometers circumnavigating that island plus some side islands bringing the total trip to one hundred and forty kilometers. I dared to grumble at the prospect of sleeping on the ground for ten nights. The ground and I aren’t exactly on friendly terms these days. Oh, it’s fine to go to bed on the ground—but it’s the getting up (literally) in the morning that was giving me some grief. Night induced stiffness, made rising much more difficult, especially in the small confining space of a tent. Not to mention the added inconvenience of needing to visit the privy more than once per night. Tip toeing across hot sand and rocks—being careful not to trod on scorpions and tarantulas in the dark, was not my idea of a fun time. Dah! Well, you get the picture. No question about it—I had solid reasons for not wanting go.

So, what did my kind, considerate husband do? He called me a fraud and said that I’d have to stop writing, because my Author Platform would no longer be valid. For any of you that haven’t heard, my platform is, “Step into the Wild—stories with purpose.”

He calmly looked me in the eye and said, “if you don’t Step, you can’t Write.” Low blow.

“Rats,” I grumbled. I hated it, when he was right. “Okay, off to Mexico we’ll go.” I pasted a happy smile on my face.

We went and I had to admit that it was terrific. So, now he thinks that I’ll agree to all of his zany plans. Time will tell and I will tell. You see, this blog will be all about the real adventures that we’re still tackling past the age of seventy—hence the title. You’ll hear about the good, the bad and the funny things that happen on our journeys. Because, unplanned for things can happen when you exit your door. As Bilbo said, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings.

Well, folks it’s time to begin the tale—stay tuned for the first Story – Arriba, Arriba

See you next week!

Lynn

My New Adventure Vehicle!!

We were made to be “special”…is that the same as Super???

 

 

Hi Everyone;

I bet you thought that I had given up on blogging….since I haven’t written anything for over a month! No excuses will suffice, except that I didn’t seem to have the time to sit down and…think! But, that time is over and I am back at it again! So here goes…

When I last blogged in December I was pondering the topic of being Super. I mentioned that in my life every time I began to think that I was Super it lead to disaster in one form or another! So is there a problem with being Super…or just a problem with my definition of Super? That lead me to check to see if the Bible says anything about being Super and to my surprise it does….well sort of!

The Bible tells us that each of us is Special…designed by God Himself to do a job for Him…especially selected just for us! (Ephesians 2:10) Well…if that’s not Super…I don’t know what is!

The trouble is that we don’t cling close enough to God or dig enough into His Word to find out what that Special Job is. We define our sence of “special” by the world’s standard and that doesn’t usually match the standard set by God. That was Scruffy’s problem, he felt that in order to prove his worth that he had to show-off…to hop higher, fly further, protect better than anyone else around him…but that wasn’t the right way to be Superspecial.  Nellie (his mom) told this story to give an example of being Super in action…

“Scruffy lay dejectedly in his pen, all alone, afraid to face anyone. Nellie knew that he was sad, so she snuggled close. After a while she spoke, “Scruffy, don’t be so hard on yourself…we all make mistakes, but these mistakes help us to grow…they build character. Never doubt that the Maker has made you special, perhaps not to be the SuperScruff that you wanted to be, but Super enough to do the job that He put you here to do.”…”The Maker’s idea of being Super is not the same as yours, so perhaps you should rethink what it means to be Super. He says that to be Super in His kingdom you have to be the servant of all…you have to be willing sacrifice yourself for others. Your type of Super was to be a show-off just to make yourself look better than others…do you see the difference? she bleated.  Hmmm, let me think of an example….Do you remeber seeing the pond at the end of the pasture?”

“Yes…the Scruffkids and I almost fell in when we slid down the slippery bank while checking it out.”

“Well you weren’t the only curious ones! All of the piglets checked it out, too, but with their pudgy little legs they weren’t able to stop themselves from sliding into the water. And they weren’t made for swimming.”

“What happened, Mom!”

“Well, Billyboy heard them squealing and so he yelled for Papa to come quickly and then dove into the pond to rescue them. Between the two of them, they managed to pull all of the piglets safely out of the water! Nellie exclaimed. ”

Nellie goes on to tell Scruffy that Billyboy didn’t bother telling anyone about this escapade, he just carried on with his other chores, despite the fact that he was a hero.

That story introduces the topic of what makes a person special. We know that scripture tells us that each of us is special and has a special purpose…but not all are called to do the same job…to be special in the same way…some may be quiet heros, like Billyboy, others will do seemingly inconsequential tasks that make a big impact, for God.  In the next few blogs I will share some real life stories of people showing how special they are…how they were  sometimes “shaped” by adversity for a task that our Maker had designed for them….stay tuned.

See you next time

Lynn

P.S. I would love to hear your stories…How has God impacted your life…How have you been used for His purposes and tell me if I can share it with other…send me an email …plynnhalliday@gmail.com

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