Seeing The Maine Coast

We are blessed to see so many beautiful places as we travel to and fro on our way to visit churches all over the USA and other nations. It is no secret that we love the scenery. We love the mountains, we love the coasts, we love the deserts and we love the farmland. Each area has so many aspects to see and to love.

In our early years on the road, we were busy every week exploring every nook and cranny we could find. The malls, used bookstores, thrift stores, zoos, lakes, parks and more were a regular part of our weekly expeditions in whatever state we were currently preaching.

Over the last several years our weekly exploring has slowed down and we have settled into a comfortable routine that mostly involves spending our days together in the bus, visiting and eating a meal with the Pastor and preparing for church each night. 

There are a couple of reasons we explore less than we used to. Number one, we are 30 years older than when we first did this and we have less energy than we did then. However, the main reason for me is that as the years pass, I need more time getting ready to minister and that is our priority.

We are there to be instruments of revival and I want to make sure we get that done above all else. There are no rules saying we can not enjoy other things while we are there and the Pastors and church folks love for us to enjoy their attractions and scenery.

I guess I put the pressure on myself. I want to make sure I am doing my dead level best to have revival. I know that I have less strength and energy than I had when I was 23 or 33 or even 43 and I want to expend that strength and energy on revival. 

Does that make sense?

At this point in our COVID recovery, I have even less energy to go around, but we believe that is temporary. There is no doubt that I am gaining a bit each week. Hallelujah!

We have settled into loving the scenery while moving from place to place and then focusing on revival and our personal family time when we arrive. Sound equipment, the Jeep and especially the bus absorb most of the rest of my time.

But, we love it when we can schedule a day or two to explore and we have done that on this trip. As I have mentioned before, I was not sure how much stamina I would have on this trip so I built in driving time and downtime.

We spent some of that downtime relaxing on the beautiful Maine coast. This is our third time to visit here and we are not near tired of it yet. Wow! This place is awesome!

This is where we stayed on the north edge of Camden in 2014.

We ate at the Lobster Pound in Lincolnville with Bro. Jimmy Millikin and his family in 2014. We had great memories of the meal so we went back. The food was OK, but it was much different, perhaps due to Covid.

It used to be a sit-down place with cloth table coverings and great service. Now you order at the counter and choose a table and they bring it to you.

After resting in the afternoon, we drove back to Belfast and sat on a bench in the harbor. It was beautiful.

Wow! What a beautiful place! Some day we will return! Thank you for going along with us. See you again soon.

Davy

A Word For Wednesday - Sometimes Life Seems Backwards

A Word for Wednesday for this week is from Charles W. Conn's daily little book The Rudder and the Rock. I posted it a few moments ago on our YouTube Channel.

Sometimes Life Seems Backwards

This was recorded at Bethel Revival Center in Everett, Massachusetts. I love the brick wall.

If you enjoy this, please subscribe, thumbs up the video and share the video with someone.😍 Thank you,

Davy 

Getting Back To Old Habits

We are back on the road and that brings us back to our old habits. It is like riding a bike, remember? 

One thing we have not done much at all this year is purchase diesel. That has been fun while it lasted, but if the wheels are going to roll, the BoggsMobile needs diesel to do it.

The BoggsMobile at truck stops will become a common sight again.

 

It is good to be back on the road, so we are happy to pump in the fuel and pay for it! In 2003 we started a habit of saving our fuel money before making a California trip. We always felt better about having that money in place before we pulled our old fifth wheel or drove the bus to the west coast and back.

We put fuel money into a special account and our fuel card draws straight from that account. We had fuel money for the west coast trip in it when we became sick and went home in January. We did not have to raid those funds so we have fuel money to take us through the rest of the year and probably into January!

Hallelujah! That feels good!

Finding proper truck stops in the Northeast is another deal altogether. Major truck stop brands start getting fewer the farther northeast you go. I mostly use TA, Petro and Loves for fuel, because of the discount, but I also buy a lot at Flying J and Pilot.

Here is a map of the Loves south and west of here

Loves up here.

Flying J and Pilot and other stations in their network south and west of here.

Flying J and Pilot here.

Here is a map of the TA and Petro stations here.

We stopped at the last TA on our route in upstate New York and then stopped again at the first TA going south in New Hampshire. It worked out OK.

Wow! What a void of truck stops. The absence of Flying J's affects us more than having one less fuel stop and that brings me to another habit.

Another habit we have to get back into is thinking ahead and finding places to "Do the work of the evangelist". Do you know what that work is? You can find out at the link above.😍

We have emptied the tanks at Flying J for 18+ years, but with no Flying Js around, we had to get busy and creative finding an alternative.

I had emptied the holding tanks early Monday morning before we left Ohio so they only had three days of use as we approached Vermont. However, we were going to be at Lowell Bible Church for four days so the deed had to be done. 

Not all RV parks are created equal. Some will allow RVers passing through to empty tanks for a fee and some will not. Even if they provide the service, I may not be able to get the bus in and out. You would be amazed how many RV parks have low trees, narrow bridges and other obstacles.

I found an RV resort near Lake George in New York and we stopped there on our last day of travel to Vermont to take care of business.

Here I am walking to the office.

The resort charged $15 to empty the tanks! Wow! We usually pay $5 or less so $15 is extravagant. To be fair, I called ahead of time so I knew the cost. While I was there, I filled up the freshwater tank too. I figured I better get my money's worth.😎

We are scoping out somewhere to empty the tanks when we leave Boston so I suppose the old habits are back to stay for a while. I sure hope so!

Thank you for spending a few minutes with us today.

Davy

Weekend Write Up 9/6/21

Can you say Wow! Yummy!!

Saturday morning began bright and early with us getting the BoggsMobile ready to ride. We had about 100 feet of water hose to disconnect and roll up and then  I was ready to crank the Detroit 60 Series and unplug the electricity. While I was doing that, KJo was getting the inside ready to ride which is no small job.

A Friday picture of the church.

Friday lunch

We planned on using the generator the whole time we were in Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts, but we got a reprieve in Brooks, Maine. Pastor Shaw had a 50 amp plug and invited us to use it. That was a blessing for sure, especially since the generator has been misbehaving.

We appreciate Pastor Shaw and his church for their hospitality. Their kindness was an incredible blessing to us.

We ran the generator for a few hours Saturday and Sunday and it worked fine. Yay!

Ready to leave Brooks.

Saturday we discovered travel plazas near Kennebunk, Maine on both sides of the  I-95 turnpike. They have a large amount of truck parking and that is rare in the northeast. I am mentioning that here for the record. I will probably need that information in the future.

We traveled 220 miles Saturday from Brooks, Maine to Peabody, Massachusetts. There is no real good way to get from Brooks to I-95. I went north on 7 to hit the interstate near Newport. It worked out great. Those 220 miles took us four hours and twenty minutes including a longish fuel stop. That is a whole lot better than over eight hours to drive 252 miles in the rain last Monday.

Within 30 minutes of arriving in Peabody, I laid down on the couch to rest. I did not sleep, but the rest seems to do me good. After resting, we drove about fifteen minutes to our favorite Italian restaurant in the Boston area. We have only tried 5-6 different places here through the years and all of them were good. For some reason, we like Polcari's in Saugus best.

I usually get the Antipasta plate. Wow! It was so good! 

You will probably see more Polcari's pictures later in the week.

By the time I laid down Saturday night I could feel weariness creeping into my bones. I slept hard and deep for a few hours and then woke up still weary. I improved some during the day, especially after my nap following Sunday morning service, and I am hoping I can shake it off with rest on Monday.

I am trying to take baby steps.😉

Sunday morning we began revival at Bethel Revival Center in Everett. We loaded some sound equipment in the Jeep and drove down early. It only took a few minutes to set things up and we were ready to go.

We love these people and we love being here to sing and preach for them.

Pastor Orville and Sis. Jennifer Plummer

Both services Sunday were good. We enjoyed them much. By God's grace, we will be singing and preaching at 7:00 Monday and Tuesday nights. Pray for us.

Thank you for stopping by for our weekend.

Davy

Our View Out The Front Window 9/5/21

This was our view out the front window last week in Brooks, Maine.

This is our view now in Peabody, Massachusetts.

Sunday Morning Sanity

Is it possible to picture a color in your mind that you have never seen with your eyes or is it a pigment of your imagination? Unknown

Thank you for dopping in today. Have a super great Sunday!

Davy

Thankful For My Life

Hey Friends,

This is Odie coming to you from the BoggsMobile. Today we are Massachusetts bound. Revival is scheduled to begin tomorrow in Everett, Massachusetts. We are thrilled to see Pastor Orville and Sis. Jennifer Plummer! I am anticipating some wonderful services. We always have a fantastic time with our dear friends!

Here is some backstory to set up my topic for today. It was inspired by an episode on the Pod"n Me podcast. You can listen to the episode by clicking here. 

Pastor Devin Birdsong and his special guest, Britton Birdsong, Brooks Birdsong and Trey Brock, were discussing the subject of preachers kids or PKs. 

They mentioned a few of their funny experiences as PKs. I was laughing along with them as I listened to their discussion. They also talked about some of the blessings of being a PK.

That conversation inspired me to consider my own experience of being a PK. The PK life is the only life I have ever known. It truly has been a great life. My Dad has been a preacher longer than I have been alive. I can not imagine living life any other way.

I feel like living life as a preacher's kid gets a bad wrap. I have heard a lot of complaints in the past of those who did not enjoy being a PK. I want to say just the opposite The pros far outweigh a few cons that I might have experienced along the way. I am blessed to be a PK!

Here are some of the pros that I enjoy about my life. Many of these things I would not have experienced if my Dad was not a preacher. 

We have been incredibly blessed to know many great men and women of God through the years. We have met many wonderful people and we are adding new friends all the time. I have friends and adopted family everywhere. What a blessing!

Along those same lines, I have been blessed to meet other kids that have had a good influence on me and I have been blessed to influence kids in the generations behind me. I treasure these friendships. What a blessing!

I love that I have been able to travel to countless places. The memories that my family has collected are endless. I had been to more places by the time I was five years old than some people get to go in a lifetime. I have visited 49 states and multiple nations and had fun all along the way. What a blessing.

Recently I was reflecting on some church services and my heart was full of gratitude. It is a blessing to see God moving in people's lives and touching hearts. I have been in thousands of church services and been witness to God working in amazing ways! I have had a front row seat to seeing hundreds of lives changed by the power of the Lord and the work of His Spirit. Wow! What a blessing! I am amazed that God has allowed us to live this life!

My greatest blessing of being a PK is being able to minister with my parents. Dad is the preacher and beares the burden of his calling. He does a phenomenal job in every aspect of his ministry. I am thankful that I get to be part of his ministry team. I am proud to witness God using my Dad for the glory of God! What a blessing!

Maybe the reason I enjoy being a PK so much is that my parents have always included me in the ministry. I was not baggage they had to drag around with them while they worked for the Lord. They have consistently given me a chance to be a part of what God is doing! What a blessing!

Today I wanted to publically thank God for the blessing of being a preacher kid! It really is an honor and privilege! I appreciate this life more today than ever. It is a pleasure to work in the ministry for God!

Thank you for stopping by to visit with me today. I appreciate you reading along as I count some of my blessings in life. I hope you have a great weekend.

Odie