Lisa Nixon Phillips - Faith Steps for Military Families: Spiritual Readiness Through the Psalms of Ascent

I wish to thank several people for making this book possible. At Morgan James Publishing, I want to thank Terry Whalin, acquisitions editor, for believing in my book topic, the Entrepreneur Vision Mastermind team: David Hancock, Jim Howard, and Rick Frishman. Thank you for recognizing the need for spiritual readiness in our military families. I also thank Margo Toulouse, my author relations manager and those who work with her at Morgan James for walking me through the publication process and answering my many questions. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity to see this book come to fruition.

My husband, Ray, a retired machinist mate chief in the U.S. Navy: I'm so grateful for your support and cheering me on in this new journey, and giving me the time and space to write for hours on end. Thank you, dear, for caring so deeply for me and my call to writing.

My daughter, Megan, a first lieutenant in the Army National Guard: Thank you for your willingness to come and work in the family business so I could be home writing. Thank you for your gift of time. I'm so proud of your military accomplishments. You've become one strong and resilient army girl and this mother couldn't be prouder. And for my son-in-law, Josh, I'm appreciative of your support and pride in Megan's military commitment.

My son, Lawrence, who stepped up his help around the house, putting up with many lame dinners because I was buried in my manuscript: You're a remarkable son. I look forward to seeing if God leads you to a career in the military, following in your father's and sister's footsteps.

My father, Alan Nixon: Thank you for your loving and personal words of support. They mean the world to me. I pray this book will magnify your faith.

My mothers-in-law Marilyn Phillips and Mary Bergenholtz: Thank you for your interest and support of my book. I hope as you read it, you'll be blessed and your faith refreshed.

Donna Clark Goodrich: Thank you for adding me to your busy work and writing schedule to do the editing of my book. I appreciate you for all the help along the way. I would have been lost without your guidance. And I'm honored to have you as a new friend.

My fellow writer friend Kathy Opie: Thank you for being that dear friend who supported me and my children through ship deployments. Your gift of hospitality and your many cards of encouragement when the military life became hard were such a blessing.

Beverly Beattie and her late husband, Gene: Thank you for being our family across the street helping me with everything from car issues to broken garage doorsfrom watching my children so I could pursue my accounting degree to having us over for dinners. Thank you for your loving hospitality and dear friendship.

My dear Kansas friend for over 30 years, Jeannie Furst: Thank you for encouraging me to keep at the writing craft. Your belief in me, your prayers for me, and your words of affirmation have blessed me immensely.

And my greatest thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus for teaching me many spiritual lessonsgood and loving ones, challenging and painful ones, and those still to come to be used for writing for Him.

PSALM OF ASCENT 120

1 In my distress I cry to the LORD,
that he may answer me:

2 Deliver me, O LORD,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.

3 What shall be given to you?
And what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?

4 A warrior's sharp arrows,
with glowing coals of the broom tree!

5 Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech,
that I must live among the tents of Kedar.

6 Too long have I had my dwelling among
those
who hate peace.

7 I am for peace;
but when I speak,
they are for war.

CHAPTER ONE

TROUBLE DURING THE JOURNEY

In my distress I cry to the LORD, that he may answer me.

Psalm 120

I n January of 1979, I boarded a plane at the San Francisco International Airport bound for Kansas City following a week-long visit with my dad that included a couple of days of snow skiing. My dad was an airline mechanic for Trans World Airlines (TWA), so our family traveled often. Flying became an even bigger part of my life after my parents divorced when I was ten. My mother took my older brother, Michael, and me back to Lawrence, Kansas, our home town and where our grandparents on both sides lived. From then on flying between Kansas and California became routine. By the time I was seventeen my dad had also taken me to many other parts of the world.

On this particular flight, everything had started out normal enough. Even though I wasn't thrilled at returning home, I was excited as any seventeen-year-old would be about seeing my friends. Because I flew this flight path often, I became familiar with the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. I knew them by sight from my window airplane seat. So, it seemed a bit odd to me that the plane was flying extremely low over the Rockies when we had another hour and a half before landing in Kansas City. My intuition was soon confirmed by the captain when he announced to the passengers that someone back in San Francisco reported placing a bomb aboard this flight. Immediately the flight plan was changed in order to make an emergency landing at the Denver International Airport.