tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41709471432788315942024-03-13T21:19:10.482-07:00MikeSpradlin.comMike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-38564630684640011752023-06-03T10:55:00.005-07:002023-06-03T10:55:59.082-07:00In Honor of Mother's Day 2023Every year we get
to honor the women that birthed us or fed us, changed our
diapers, nurtured and loved us – or those who functioned in that role. While no
mother is perfect, these women helped us get to this stage of life. My Mom, Chris, has been enjoying heaven for nearly six years. This is my favorite picture of us, and
it sits on my shelf in my office. Every
day, IMike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-54875619058583258502021-05-23T16:30:00.001-07:002021-05-28T10:45:10.695-07:00Pandemic PanaceaDuring this pandemic, I've learned a new skill.No, it's not becoming an expert at facilitating Zoom meetings - even though I've done my fair share! It's not scoring the best deal on hard-to-find hygiene products - even though our store shelves are stocked full of TP again! It's not even the creativity needed to balance a host of opinions about how to "do" church.I've become adept at Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-77802387934607143022020-12-31T12:45:00.002-08:002020-12-31T12:50:28.312-08:00A Prayer for the New YearI thought I might offer you a snapshot of my prayer time with the Lord this morning. It isn’t profound or prolific. But I felt compelled to share it as we enter 2021 together.The End. This year, Lord...one of the worst ever by some estimations, and yet it is not. All a matter of perspective. How will we choose to look at it? A divided country politically, one that’s been on fire, a Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-22164712822383966962020-05-15T14:22:00.002-07:002020-11-07T11:27:39.091-08:00The Emoji<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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I just
learned that my Google Messages app will now support iPhone like emojis. Thrilling…
OK, not really! Why, you may
ask? I think I have enough emojis
alreadyMike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-63395671409293690762020-05-02T09:08:00.001-07:002020-11-07T11:28:25.368-08:00Uncle<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-84939532742598477352020-04-24T13:08:00.001-07:002020-11-07T11:28:46.427-08:00Delight<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-36319514111985160492020-04-16T13:04:00.002-07:002020-11-07T11:28:59.682-08:00Binge-watching!<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-29740459114618938062020-04-09T13:20:00.003-07:002020-11-07T11:29:12.359-08:00Vengeance Is Mine?<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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My Bible journeys with the prophet Jeremiah continue to reveal some
critical truths I need for this season of life. You may wonder, "Mike, why Jeremiah of all books? Isn't Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-56934909689683984482020-04-03T08:00:00.001-07:002020-11-07T11:29:23.858-08:00Information Overload?<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-75517333623866825262020-04-02T08:13:00.000-07:002020-04-18T08:57:00.032-07:00Unlikely Encouragement
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Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-88090699247911174402019-09-08T06:45:00.001-07:002020-11-07T11:29:52.184-08:00When I Know I'm Weak<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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Some seasons in life can seem, well... "off," don't they? It's not that anything is going wrong necessarily, but life feels labored. I know these times. I know them in Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-67349713193906060782017-08-17T10:13:00.003-07:002020-11-07T11:30:05.374-08:00Reflections on Living When Death Is Near<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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These past few days I've spent alongside my mother, who has been, quite abruptly, diagnosed with terminal cancer throughout her body. We've spent time holding hands and sharing aboutMike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-91192288043671501582015-12-08T09:06:00.007-08:002022-03-04T08:59:01.029-08:00Bringing Us Back<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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Last night, I visited our PD officer in the hospital recovering from surgery. His accident could have claimed his life, but God is so good and spared him for unknown purposes that weMike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-53070822167327370392015-12-03T08:31:00.005-08:002022-03-04T08:58:49.039-08:00In the Midst of Tragedy<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Analytics -->
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It is easy to lose hope in the midst of tragedy. Our city/region has taken a one-two punch with our officer in the collision Monday in surgery now and with the horror yesterday in Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-71396656726855870572015-05-28T15:06:00.003-07:002022-03-04T08:56:34.859-08:00Days 8 & 9 - A Speech, City, Tunnel, Wall, Museum, Tomb, and Long Way Home!Our last day began with an early breakfast, followed by a living-history lesson from a Holocaust survivor named Hannah, childhood friend of Anne Frank. At 86, she is sharp and witty, yet her words were haunting as she described the horrors she witnessed during the terror of the Third Reich and her relationship to the late diary-writer of international fame. I felt grateful to have Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-36528100821007249262015-05-24T04:54:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:56:49.586-08:00Day 7 - Northern (Old City) JerusalemToday we started early and began the 2nd of our 3 days in the Old City by entering the Moslem Quarter at the Lion's Gate. (We know it as the Sheep Gate in the Bible due to the livestock sold there up until the early 1970's. We walked alongside an old Muslim cemetery en route to the Via Dolorosa, the path traditionally said to be the one Jesus took to Calvary.
First stop: St. Anne's Church, built Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-87671404984277130062015-05-23T11:47:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:57:01.711-08:00Day 6 - Southern (Old City) JerusalemIt's 9:30PM and I am on overload tonight...physically, as we walked a lot...mentally, as we took in so much information, and spritually, as I'll attempt to describe.
We began the day on the Mt. of Olives overlooking the Kidron Valley, with an incredible view of Old Jersalem - its eastern side with the Dome of the Rock on top of Mt. Moriah and the Golden Gate that was sealed when the Moslems Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-7209179161140132282015-05-22T10:57:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:57:11.120-08:00Day 5 - Wandering in the WildernessOur first morning in Jerusalem didn't start with the sites locally but an hour and a half ride southeast. This route led us out of the City and bisected the areas of Samaria and Judea, what is known today as the Palestinian West Bank.
Our first stop: Masada. For those of you who are too young to remember Peter O'Toole in the epic movie (which by the way was extremely accurate according to Jewish Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-41921586085172451052015-05-21T12:54:00.003-07:002022-03-04T08:57:20.767-08:00Day 4 - IAF Base, Megiddo... En-route to JerusalemToday, more than any other so far, did more to open my eyes to what everyday Israeli people feel and think. This evening, we were honored to hear a special advisor to the government and the last 4 prime ministers. He spoke about the complex relationships here in the Middle East and how, much to the disagreement of many of your closest friends at home, CNN, and our government in Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-13280125722729411382015-05-20T21:06:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:57:30.136-08:00Day 3 Continued - Golan Heights, Part Deux!I must admit, I wasn't quite sure what to think about the region I visited today...an area hotly contested on the global stage, front and center in national politics: the Golan Heights. In my own mind, this was a chunk of barren plateau, without much vegetation besides brown grass, good-for-nothing, that served no real purpose. And it was, until...In 1973, on Yom Kippur, when all the nation Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-36451467413307119392015-05-20T13:42:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:57:40.163-08:00Day 3 - Golan HeightsI must admit, I wasn't quite sure what to think about the region I visited today...an area hotly contested on the global stage, front and center in national politics: the Golan Heights. In my own mind, this was a chunk of barren plateau, without much vegetation besides brown grass, good-for-nothing, that served no real purpose. And it was, until...
(Well, I lost all the balance of this post, thatMike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-30826688812984597502015-05-19T12:30:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:57:49.111-08:00Day 2 - Capernaum, Mt. of Beatitudes, Sea of Galilee, and the Jordan RiverThe end of a wonderful day...albeit hotter than yesterday at 113°F and 90-some % humidity! They are riding a heat wave here that shouldn't start til July. This fact, and today's travel, does, however, give me a greater appreciation for Jesus' ministry.
Capernaum, a city where more miracles were done by Jesus than any place else, moved me. I touched the foundation and ruins of the synagogue where Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-7557873179808874952015-05-18T07:22:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:57:58.517-08:00Day 1 - Tel Aviv, Caesarea Maritima & Mt. CarmelAfter a very long and bumpy flight, with no sleep we landed safely in Tel Aviv...a thoroughly modern metropolis and home to as many tech companies as in the U.S. (betcha didn't know that! I didnt!) Without stopping, since we had several of our group delayed in customs, we began our travel to Caesarea Maritima.
It's the ruins of King Herod's palace and city built  on the Mediterranean coast Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-74425232757224482012015-05-16T06:45:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:58:09.982-08:00BeginningsAnticipation... Sitting in the Ontario terminal awaiting my group number to be called, I know I am only traveling to the East Coast today, but the journey begins. And there is anticipation...only of what God wants to do.
I am excited... I slept little, yet feel so refreshed. And I realized just now that I love to people-watch! A break last year taught me that!
I marvel at God's hand at creating Mike Spradlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08217038534838098489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4170947143278831594.post-81303221111398126692014-10-10T23:17:00.001-07:002022-03-04T08:58:28.754-08:00Breaking the Barrier<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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