February 23


A Simple Request


Honor your father…..

Exodus 20:12 (NKJV)


Someone at Tanner Springs Assisted Living, located near Portland, asked us to write up a simple piece about my 90-year old dad for their small, community newsletter. Here’s what I gave them.

Stories about Phil: Truth or Fiction?

If you have lived at Tanner Springs for a while, you probably know Phil Soderquist. If not, he is the man with the ready smile, the soft voice and the twinkle in his eyes. The twinkle tells you he has seen a bit of this world … and more! Here are some fun facts from Phil’s son. Actually, here are a few tall tales followed by Phil’s real life story.


Tall tale: Phil came to the U.S. from Sweden on a banana boat with only 5 cents in his pocket.

Truth: Phil and his mother came to Ellis Island by ship when Phil was only 5-years old.


Tall tale: Phil arrived at his new home in a blizzard after being rescued by fun-loving Eskimos.

Truth: Northern Maine Swedes greeted young Phil with happy hugs and chatter one wet night.

Tall tale: Phil watched his uncle teach the Wright Brothers how to build bicycles and gave them flying tips.

Truth: Phil watched his Uncle Gus make Swedish kick sleds for the kids and families of Northern Maine.


Tall tale: Phil met Paul Bunyan and, with Babe’s help, skidded timber from Bangor to Atlanta!

Truth: Phil worked in the Maine woods from his boyhood and helped build the Appalachian Trail.


Tall tale: An incredible athlete, Phil struck out Babe Ruth and single-handedly won an NBA title!

Truth: Played high school baseball in middle school; led his basketball team to win a State title.


Tall tale: Hotshot Phil flew the latest military hardware for the Army Air Corps in World War II.

Truth: Phil, an Air Corps weatherman, flew weather balloons in China and India during WW II.

Tall tale: Tired of fighting World War II, Phil traveled the world in search of his one true love.

Truth: Phil traveled all the way home from China and the West Coast and married his pen pal—still married after 60 years!


Tall tale: Phil was a cagey East Coast real estate developer who out-trumped Donald Trump.

Truth: Phil has bought and sold property from Florida to Maine and loved every minute of it!


Tall tale: Phil’s cruise ship sank near Key West and he single-handedly rescued all the women.

Truth: Phil’s rowboat capsized off Coffee Pot Bayou when his daughter jumped off the bow. All safely dog-paddled to shore.


Small tale: Phil can do anything, anywhere, anyhow, anytime, and anyway—he is so good at everything!

Truth: Woodsman, cobbler, draftsman, teacher, postman, airman, T-man, cook who built two homes for his family!


Father, thank You for our fathers. Bring blessing and health to my dad today. In Jesus name, Amen.

February 22


The Joy of Praying for You—My Friend


Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you.

2 Timothy 1:3 (the Message)


I love these words because they express my heart. One of the things in life that gives me great joy is praying for my friends—especially when I know God is working in their hearts.

Few things compare to having a true friend, one who will stick with us and encourage us. And you know what? Expressing our love by praying for these very special people only heightens our joy.

When Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing,” guess who’s on the top of my list?


Father, thank You so much for my friends. They ARE special. Bless them this day with happiness, good health and a great heart for You. Amen.

February 21


Dean of the Caribbean


The LORD won’t leave his people nor give up his children.

Psalm 94:14 (NCV)


It was late last night as I sat at my large, wooden desk. The den was dark with just the small table lamp on. The room was dark, but it felt much darker.

I paid no attention to the bills and busy paperwork covering my desk, instead I stared at my Dell monitor. The timed satellite images played in a loop—over and over. The green islands of Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola stood out like green jewels floating on a sea of blue. But there was something else. I stared at the tight, swirling red and orange clouds filling so much of the screen. It was Hurricane Dean, and he circled and danced and bobbed on the warm Caribbean waters like a young boy with raging hormones. His colorful cloud bands groping for Haiti like some monstrous octopus.

This got my attention.

My heart lives in Haiti. Port-Au-Prince to be exact. It's true. My heart travels the globe and it found a home in this tiny niche. There in the north of Port-Au-Prince lives a precious, young girl. Her name is Ruth. She is only six-years old, the youngest of eight brothers and sisters and orphaned when mom and dad died from AIDS. Her brother watches over her, but he has no job. There is only the church and school, caring people and us, and … God. She is our Compassion child and I pray for her every day, and tonight my heart is close to breaking. The weather report says the storm will become a level-5 hurricane … like Katrina … and their shelter is minimal. Not much at all—not here. In spite of this, God tells me not to worry (Philippians 4:6,7). He tells me to pray, and I do—for Ruth, for Haiti and even for Jamaica … next on Dean’s dance card. I pray ... and I wait for His peace—the peace He has promised. Yes, promised.

My God has given you and me such great promises.

By morning time, He had replaced my concern with peace ... and a new joy. The strong winds passed on, and my new day dawned with fresh light ... and the hope that a precious, little girl in Haiti knows just how big her God is….


Father, remember Your children. Give them Your peace. Amen.

February 20


It Only Takes a Spark


It only takes a spark remember to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary….

James 3:5-7 (The Message)


My 9-year old son saw it first. He was selling items at a homemade stand on the street corner when he noticed black smoke two blocks away. He came running to his mom concerned about a fire. So ... she called 911. I thought nothing of it. I mean, someone was burning debris, right? Little did I know this was the beginning of a brushfire on 40 acres and would cause 150 homes to be evacuated.

My boy Alex stood next to his mother as we watched the smoke rise and heard the distant whine of sirens. “I’m scared, Mom. Can we please go now? Can we leave?”

For the moment, all we saw was the black plume billowing over rooftops. Then the wind picked up and we saw the fire. The flames roared into view. They moved like a freight train past the open end of our block. It was breathtaking. Alex clung to his mother as my jaw dropped open. The orange and red flashed hot and suddenly the small grove of junipers it had swallowed belched flames 60 feet into the air. Huge tongues of fire soared over the tops of two-story homes. It became an instant no brainer, and we were leaving fast.

As we loaded the car, a truck raced by, it’s speaker telling us to evacuate. Unfortunately, curious onlookers blocked the streets hindering our departure, but soon we were safely away. Three boys, a dog and my son’s laptop were all that came with us. We watched the battle for Sandalwood subdivision from the top of Pilot Butte, two-miles away. With the winds as strong as they were, it took numerous firefighters and US Forest Service personnel over two hours to subdue it. It would take another two hours to get back into the neighborhood. It wasn’t fun, not really.

The next day, we looked at the charred brush and the skeletons of toasted junipers, now black, chalky toothpicks. I reminded myself, kids with matches can do a lot of harm. No one died, no homes were lost, but what a picture. And what a great reminder to watch my words. James reminds you and me just how bad it can get. Careless words can do that. They can ruin everything, so let’s watch it. Let’s choose our words wisely and use them to build bridges. Let’s avoid setting off fires … at all costs.


LORD, guard my lips. Guide my tongue. Amen.