A Long Time Coming

It has been a very long time since I have posted to my blog. I have been busy, but then you probably guessed that. One problem I found was my discovery of Facebook. That can be much more time consuming than my blog was. It is much more interactive and responses come much more rapidly. Once you start in there, its really hard to get away, and stay away.

And then there was hunting season. There was planning, preparation, practice, patience, panic....and then a deer to hang in my garage until it was ready to be prepared for the freezer. We now have venison steaks, roasts, ground venison and venison sausage (both breakfast and hot) in our freezer and we have already enjoyed some venison steaks, stew and mincemeat pie. Below is picture of me with the lady who arrived at our place December 3rd. I didn't get any pictures but our dog loved being able to process some of the leg bones of this deer as well!

My wife has been busy trying to manage our Christmas preparations this year. She works hard to insure that packages are sent early enough to arrive at their appropriate destinations before Christmas. That is no small task with family living in Georgia, Florida and Alabama as well as Canada and China. And then there is the decorations in the house. She retrieves them from the attic, sends my son and I to bring home a tree, has me string the lights, then works her magic and we end up with a wonderful holiday environment. Here are a couple of pictures of our tree this year, along with one of our manger scenes and our dog Rudy taking it all in stride.


As we move closer to Christmas we are really looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus! We will not have any of our married sons with us this year, but Barb and Shawn and I do plan to travel up to be with Barb's brother and his family on Christmas day, they live about an hour away, and it will be nice to be with extended family. But what will be wonderful is to have time to reflect again on just what God did for us when he sent his son that very first Christmas day! I have often wondered if the people in Bethlehem even had a clue what had happened in their town that day.

Gospel Light for Global Darkness

Last week I was able to attend the annual convention of the Eastern Regional Association held in Peabody, MA. After 2 days of Board meetings in which I was involved, the convention kicked off on Thursday evening with a message from Dr. John Roller from North Carolina. Friday and Saturday were filled with business sessions and challenging messages. I had the chance to hear from Dr. Ron Thomas, Executive Dircetor of the Advent Christian General Conference; a medical missionary from Africa; and Rev. Russell Carle, Director of the Advent Christian mission work in Africa and Europe. The meals were nourishing and enjoyable, the worship enriching, the preaching inspiring, and the fellowship sweet. This gathering always gives me the chance to catch up with people I don't see often enough, and I am grateful to God I was able to attend.

Here are some pictures taken during the convention. You may recognize some of those in the pictures. If not, you will find labels at the end of this post which will identify the pictures.

Still Waters

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down is green pastures. He leads me beside still waters." Psalm 23:1&2
I know the "still waters" of which the psalmist spoke were probably much different loooking than the water shown above, but as I walked with my wife in a state forest last week, we came upon this wonderfully tranquil place. As we watched, listened, and photographed this pond, the words of the psalmist came to my mind. How we need to make time to walk beside still waters in this tumultuous world? How we need to remember the LORD is "our" shepherd and will lead us through all the uncertainty and confusion of our time. In that same 23rd Psalm, David tells us that we do not need to fear because the LORD is with us. He is with ME!

My prayer today is that all those who need to walk beside some still waters will find them as they walk with Jesus. Amen

I Love Fall

Yesterday was a beautiful one in Connecticut. Sunny and mild (about 70 degrees), the weather invited me to spend some time in the out of doors. And that is what I did. Without any special agenda, I took three separate walks and savored the sights, sounds and smells of autumn. The leaves are changing colors here, and then falling on still green lawns, begging for rakes to gather them into piles. Soccer fields are filled with boys and girls running and laughing and yelling as they enjoy the competition. Yesterdays blue skies were painted with puffy clouds that made me think the sunset would be amazing (and it was).

As I walked I thought about our time in Connnecticut. We are now in our fifth year here, and a lot has happened in the last four years. Our three oldest sons have all gotten married. Barb now has three wonderful daughters-in-law to share in her torment of living with the Dean guys! While we didn't do the choosing, we couldn't be happier with the choices our sons made. We love Kelly, Marianne and Jennifer (who also brought us Erin, our only grandchild) and so thrilled to have them in our family.

Shawn has grown alot in the last 4 years. When we moved here he was entering middle school in the seventh grade. He is now well into his junior year of high school, pressing us to get him his learner's permit so he can start driving! He has been to a prom, made a couple of visits to the Emergency Room of the hospital, gone to Sports and Music Camp in New Hampshire 4 times, and become a leader in the youth group he attends. He is a good student, a fun kid, and a great son to Barb and me, and we are thrilled to have him still at home.

The Lord helped us face and get through the ordeal of Barb's accident with the motorcyclist. We are so thankful he lived and has made a partial recovery from his life-threatening injuries. While we wish it had never happened, we have learned much about trusting God even when we don't understand why things have happened the way they did.

We love our home here, we love the people in the church, Barb has grown as a nurse working at the hospital for the past 4 years, and I have made some wonderful friends in a group of pastors with whom I meet for prayer on a weekly basis.

And as we have gotten older we have learned to appreciate the blesssings God gives us in the little things, like the change of seasons!

Family and Friends

I have just returned from a trip to Florida and Georgia where I was reminded of how great a gift I have been given in the form of my family and friends. Barb and I were able to visit our son and his wife in Savannah, GA where they just purchased their first home. How exciting to visit the house with Kelly and see firsthand the wonderful provision God has made for them. Here are Barb and Kelly in the kitchen of their new home.When Robbie got off work on Thursday, he came home to his apartment where we were able to visit with him before we travelled to Florida where I had to attend some meetings. Here are Robbie and Kelly with their dog, Rosie, in their Savannah apartment.While in Florida we were able to reconnect with some friends we knew when I pastored in Tampa. They have all moved since we used to live there, but we were able to get together in Dowling Park. Here is Barb with 92 year old Velie McFarland and a group of women from her Bible study in Tampa back in the 1980's.While in Florida we also had the chance to take my parents out for mom's birthday which we were not able to celebrate with her on September 2nd. Here are mom and dad at breakfast in Dowling Park.Since we never know how long we will be able to share life with anyone, the chance to be with folks we love is always special. It was really nice that Robbie and Kelly were able to come down to Florida for the weekend and share this birthday breakfast with my folks and with us. Here they are with Barb at the same breakfast.It was also great for me to be able to attend an FSU football game with my son Robbie. While Barb and Kelly were shopping in Tallahassee, FL, Rob and I were able to attend the FSU/Wake Forest football game. While the outcome of the game was disappointing, the chance to attend the game together was a wonderful experience and we both saw people at the game we knew from when we lived in Florida. Here we are together high in the stands at Doak Campbell Stadium.I am so grateful to God for the family and friends he has given me and the opportunity which I had to share these wonderful times with them. I am looking forward to more such opportunities and wonder just who God will allow me to spend time with in the future.

September 4, 1976

Barb and I have now been married for 32 years! I often wonder how she has put up with me for so long. But I am very thankful she has. They have been a great 32 years.

This year our anniversary began like most days in our home. I walked outside and Barb put in her time on the treadmill in our basement. She won't like me posting it, but here she is watching the news as she walks.We spent some time reflecting on our 32 years of marriage as we shared a cup of piping hot Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla coffee after we had each finished our respective walks. We are so thankful for our four sons (and three lovely daughters-in-law), for the churches and ministries we have served in New Mexico, Florida, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut. We are thankful for God's sustaining grace which enabled us to face some difficult challenges over the years. The loss of Barb's dad, a time of severe depression, the "accident", all our moves, my dad's heart attack and my parent's car accident, and so many other instances, all reminded us of how important it has been to able to trust in the strong arms of a loving Heavenly Father!

At lunchtime Barb took me to our nearby Ruby Tuesday's for some soup and salad. We ate light since a big night out was planned. Here is Barb just before we entered the restaurant.

As evening approached we purchased Shawn his favorite Subway sub and then Barb and I were off to celebrate our 32nd anniversary in style. We began with dinner at Peppercorn's Grill in downtown Hartford. This is a wonderful Italian restaurant which I found after searching the internet. It is also close to the the theater where we would be heading next. Here are some pictures from dinner. We enjoyed an awesome meal together. We began with bread and olive oil, followed by house salads and bruschetta. Barb had grilled salmon and I had grilled chicken, with Italian vegetables and roasted potatoes. For dessert Barb had Taramisu and I had a couple of homemade chocolate truffles and fresh fruit. We both enjoyed a couple of cups of decaf coffee to wash it down. After spending a couple of hours at dinner we walked a few blocks to the Bushnell Theater for the Perfoming Arts where we saw the musical, Spamalot.
It was a wonderful day that left me with an overwhelming sense of gratefulness that Barb said yes 32 years ago and agreed to become my wife. I am hopeful God's grace will allow us many additional years but it has already been a wonderful "life" as we have served our Lord together and committed our marriage, our children and our family to His purpose. Thanks Barb, and thank you, my Heavenly Father.

Making Memories

Now that summer is over (from a school perspective) and we are returning to our routine, I am aware of how quickly time passes us by and how important it is to make memories we can look back on later. In the past week Shawn and I have taken in two UConn soccer matches up in Storrs, CT. We watched them beat St. Joseph's 4-0 and play Tulsa to at 1-1 draw. It was great to be able to watch this outstanding soccer team (currently ranked #3 nationally) with my youngest son and to be able to talk both on the way and returning home.The UConn team is led by O'Brian White from Scarborough, Ontario and Akeem Priestly from Kingston, Jamaica. O'Brian White is last year's Herman Trophy winner, an award given to the top soccer player in the nation. (O'Brain is second from the left, #7.)Akeem is an exciting offensive player with exceptional ball skill who is fun to watch with his hair flying as he blazes around the field and the defenders. Here is Akeem leaving the field after the team's warm-ups, he is #11.We all had Monday off and decided to join Barb's brother and some of his family in Lee, MA for a Labor Day picnic. It was great to be able to visit with family and reflect on God's goodness, life's challenges and the family reunion we shared in BC earlier this summer. Barb and Dorinda did a great job with the meal, although Dean was the grill-master, and we shared time with all those who were there. Here are Barb and Dorinda resting after dinner, watching a movie on the tv. It was great to see Judah and his family again, as well as Emma and her family, including her mom who is a college student who was working on her homework for much of the holiday weekend. Here are Judah and his folks, with cousin Emma looking on.And below is the college student hard at work, Kelsey Shaw and her computer!
And of course, no visit to the Shaw household would be complete without an unhealthy dose of video gaming, here is Steve giving Shawn still some more insider info on WOW.
We thank God for the proximity of the Shaw family since most of my family and my wife's family live far away and we really enjoy times when we can get together and make memories. And that reminds me, today David and Marianne leave Texas bound for China and a resumption of their ministry there, making memories for their growing family on the other side of the world. I wonder when we will see them again and make some more memories together.

An End to the Summer Fun

On Monday one of my elders called and invited Shawn and me to join him for some golf today. Knowing it was Shawn's last day of his summer vacation, we accepted his invitation. At 2:30 we met him in Ellington, CT for some golf at a par 3 course we like to play. It was a great afternoon of fun and frustration (it was golf after all) and a reminder that life is about to return to a routine that has been missing all summer. But for this afternoon, we enjoyed the beauty of summertime in New England.Here is Gerald Stevens, but did his putt go in? Ask him when you see him.Here is Shawn preparing to tee off, can he reach the green? I will never tell!

When we finished our nine holes we came home and had a supper of leftovers while Barb was at work. It was then I realized that with Shawn's return to school tomorrow we enter a whole new year of scheduling around his school calendar. Gone will be those wonderful cookouts at Janet's camper like the one we enjoyed a few weeks ago.

Here Dotty Sylvester and Gerald Stevens await a feast while my son David reads in the background. We had some great times at Janet's camper this summer. And when there we always had plenty to eat, thanks to Chef Rodney, shown below. This summer we enjoyed being with our family at the reunion in BC, enjoyed having David and Marianne here for almost a month, I enjoyed my week in Maine as Bible teacher at Lakeside, my trip to General Conference outside Chicago, and we enjoyed our occasional visits to the Berkshires to see Barb's family there. Now everything has to be scheduled with an eye on Shawn's school calendar.

I wonder when we will get the chance to go do something fun again, I hope I don't have to wait too long.

Saying Goodbye

At 5:30 this morning Barb and I drove David and Marianne to the airport here in Windsor Locks and put them on a plane to Texas. They will spend another week in the states and on September 4th, our 32nd wedding anniversary, they will begin their return trip to China. Here is a picture of Barb with the kids as they said goodbye at Bradley Airport as the sun began to brighten the horizon in the background.
It was great to have the kids with us for most of the month of August. We got to visit, the girls got to shop, we went out to eat together and shared many meals at home. They were on the road a good bit, visiting 4 churches in 3 states on the 4 Sundays they were here. They found this a very difficult time to do support raising. But they will return to their assignment with a trust in the LORD for His provision and direction.

Marianne is beginning to look pregnant and it looks good on her. David has that happy father's approving grin on many occasions. The Lord willing, the next time we see them, it will be in China after the arrival of the baby. A trip to see them at their home in China is tentatively scheduled for mid-March of 2009.

Yesterday was a fun day. Our niece Rachel, her husband Matt, and their new baby Judah came to see Marianne and David before they left. Rachel's mom Dorinda drove them down from Massachusetts and we were able to have lunch together. Last night we had a fun meal to send them off. Beginning with the cranberry and brie appetizers we went on to enjoy a dinner of garden fresh salad made with ingredients from our garden (the tomato actually came from a friend's garden) but the lettuce, carrots, cucumbers all came from our garden. The entrees were bacon wrapped steaks, swordfish steaks, and salmon all grilled outside. We had sauteed yellow and zucchini squash with red onions, baked sweet potato, rolls with olive oil and dipping spices and for dessert, we had some wonderful tarimisu. It was wonderful. The next time we share a meal it will be in Kunming, China!

It was great to spend time with the kids but life marches on. Barb works the next three days. I have a luncheon meeting today with another pastor from Windsor. Shawn returns to school tomorrow. And David and Marianne must return to their ministry in China. I am left to wonder what it will be like to hold my grandchild when we go to see them next year, the Lord willing.

A Wonderful Reward!

It is in Psalm 127:3 that we read "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward." (ESV) This afternoon my wife Barb and I, along with our son Shawn, got to go to visit our niece Rachel, and her husband Matt, at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington, MA. The occasion of our visit....the birth of Judah Matthew Keesee at 10:26pm on August 16, 2008. Judah arrived weighing in at a hefty 8 lbs. 15 ozs. and being 23 inches long. His mom, Rachel, spent 20 hours in labor before she gave birth to her reward, the baby we affectionately call - 'lil moose! Here is what Judah looked like on the afternoon of the 17th, when he was about 17 hours old!It was an honor to be able to visit with this new family and share in the excitement that comes with a newborn. We were thankful to be able to share in this special time since Matt and Rachel were the only members of my wife's family who could not be with us at our recently concluded Shaw Family Reunion in British Columbia. But seeing the joy on their faces as we visited with them, and sharing their excitement, made us believe this was every bit as special as the reunion, for them probably moreso. Here at the proud parents in Rachel's hospital room.We all got to take a turn hold the "little big man", and we got to visit with their good friends Caleb and Eva Joy, who are expecting their own reward this coming Wednesday! Here are the happy parents to be.Before we left, Judah's 3 year old cousin Emma arrived and took her turn holding the reward that God had given to Matt and Rachel. Here she is practicing for her duties as a big cousin.
Our visit caused us to rejoice with the new parents and to look forward with anticipation to the arrival of our own grandchild next February when God gives a reward to David and Marianne, if that is his purpose for them. I wonder how much excitement will fill our hearts as we travel to China to see our grandchild and his parents.

It's About Time

It has been a while since I have been able to post to my blog. There are several reasons for that and I won't bore you with them here. But tonight I thought I'd share a few pictures and thoughts. Since coming back from the Shaw Family Reunion in BC in July, we have been busy.

A week after I came back from the reunion, Shawn and I were off for Maine and a week at Lakeside Family Camp in Belgrade, Maine. We had a great week. We got in a round of golf, Shawn got in a lot of swimming, we got to visit with my parents (who have a cottage there) and I got to be the Bible teacher for five days as I led a group of folks in a study of the book of Ephesians. Here are some of those who attended the Bible study in the lovely chapel on the campground.

It was fun to be able to study God's word together and learn more about how He wants us to "walk", as Paul shows us in his letter.

One of the real joys for me was getting to meet and be led in worship by Mr. Dean Neal who is a gifted and inspirational worship leader. Here is Dean as he led us in worship one evening.When our week in Maine was over we travelled back home to Connecticut and were blessed to have our son and daughter-in-law come to visit while home on furlough from China. We were able to be with them at the reunion, but it is wonderful to have them staying with us without so many others as well. What a thrill it was for us to learn that David and Marianne are expecting their first child in February of next year. Here is the happy couple at a picnic we attended with some friends at Moose Meadow Camping Resort here in Connecticut.

It is wonderful having David and Marianne home, but we can only wonder what it will be like to have a grandchild born and raised on the other side of the world! We are already praying that God will make it possible for us to visit them in China soon after their family expands.

A Week Well Spent

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!"

Psalm 133:1 (ESV)

The 2008 Shaw Family Reunion is now history. It will undoubtably be remembered as one of the most spectacular.

From the mountains that were climbed to the vistas that were all around, from the big bucks to the little fawns, from the wild flowers to the growing grand-children, my mind is filled with images that bring a smile to my face. Over 28 years we have enjoyed 15 family reunions. Here is the list, each entry complete with memories of its own.

1980 - Brandywine Meadows Camp in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania

1982 - Shaw family home in Middle Simonds, New Brunswick

1984 - Dean and Dorinda's home in Hamilton, Ontario

1986 - Alton Bay Christian Conference Center in Alton Bay, New Hampshire

1988 - Shenandoah Acres Resort in Stuarts Draft, Virgina

1990 - Will-O-Wood Campground on Lake Willoughby, Vermont

1992 - Clearview Cottage Resort at Youngs Point, Ontario

1994 - Mountain Top Cottages on Parker Moutain, Nova Scotia

1996 - Cabwaylingo State Forest in Dunlow, West Virgina

1998 - Dunrovin Cottages in Victoria, Prince Edward Island

2000 - Richibucto River Resort in Rexton, New Brunswick

2002 - Magog Mont Orford in Quebec

2004 - Lakes Resort Cottages and Campground in Margaree, Cape Breton

2006 - The Lakeside at Loon Lake in Chesterton, New York

2008 - Alpine Resort Village in Kimberley, British Columbia and Mark and Teresa's home in Wycliffe, BC

Now we are back home in Windsor Locks, CT. A thundershower is moving by outside and will bring down the temperature that was over 90 degrees earlier today. Shawn attended his youth group this evening. We all miss being with our family but must face the reality of returning to the routine of living.

We are looking forward to having David and Marianne visit with us in early August. But for now, we look back on being together as a family, both our Dean family (shown here)

and the larger Shaw family shown below.

DAY SIX - Winding Down

After my bear sighting of yesterday, I had 6 people join me on my early morning walk today. We did not see any bear, but what a joy to come upon these two spotted fawn who were following their mom but stopped long enough to look at all the curious camera carrying tourists!

This year's Shaw Family Reunion is now winding down, and that is probably a good thing, I'm exhausted. But I couldn't relax until after I took part in our now traditional omlet breakfast. It has become a tradition for me to cook omlets for everyone at the reunion who would like one. This year I cooked 29 3-egg omlets over 2 and 1/2 hours.

Barb assisted in getting the plates prepared and served and everyone seemed to enjoy this year's installment. I think this is a tradition we may continue. After cleaning up from breakfast I took Jennifer and Erin into Kimberley so they could take an afternoon white-water rafting trip. Then I took Robbie and Kelley and we went to see the Marysville Falls. It was a beautiful sight as you can see from the photos below.

At lunchtime the Shaw children all went out with their mom for some apple strudel and conversation, another important traditon at Shaw Family Reunions. But as always happens, we began to say our goodbyes as Dean Shaw and family were the first to leave at 4:00 pm as they began to make their way back to Massachusetts and New York. The condos that have been home since we arrived began to be less crowded.

Supper was leftovers as we attempted to use up the food from our various condos. We had more tacos, hamburgers, salads, kabobs and the remains of the desserts. After supper, Jay and Holly headed back to New Brunswick. When we had cleaned up from supper we headed off to spend some time at Mark and Teresa's. There I got to sample some of the area's famous apple struddle and watch more of the amazing scenery as the sunset on the day and another family reunion.