Correction

In my last post I said that we were losing two of the folks who had been worshipping with us from India. I have learned that the information I received was in error. John is still in Connecticut and only Anne, shown above, has left us. I got an email from Anne today and she reports she likes her new job and had a good first day at work. She sends her love and we promised to keep her in our prayers. We are still praying for John to find a job, but will hate to see him move on just as we hated to say goodbye to Anne.

Catching Up

I can hardly believe it has been over a week since I posted here. It's been a typically hectic week for us and so I will try to catch you up on what's been happening around here and with those we know. First, can you believe what's happening with gas prices? I don't know about where you are, but here is a sign from down the street. No wonder money seems tighter.

The price of gasoline isn't what will keep my sister-in-law from driving around. She was involved in a serious car accident last Friday when someone broadsided her on the driver's side. We are so grateful for God's protection, just a few stitches above her eye and some bruises. It could have been so much worse. On a happier family note, congratulations to our niece and her husband on the birth of Ava Leigh Duncan this past Sunday. Jonathan and Jennifer are shown below with the new addition.

As happy as we are to welcome this new additon to the family, our church family in Windsor is saddened to learn that a couple of folks who have been worshipping with us for the past few months are leaving today for Seattle, WA. They had been in our area for training but now they are off in search of their futures. We will pray for God's blessing on John and Ann who are originally from India and have become very good friends and family in the Lord. (No, they are not a couple, just friends.)

It is springtime in Connecticut and we have found it to be a beautiful place to be in the springtime. Here are some of the flowering plants we are enjoying in our sunny, 70 degree weather. That, and the Red Sox in first place, what could be better. Have a great day in the Lord!

Old Friends

From the fall of 1982 to spring of 1987 it was my privilege to serve as the pastor of Lowry Park Community Church in Tampa, FL. One family that was special to us there was the Brisbin family. We knew George and Lois and three of there four children (their oldest son was already living away from home). Over the years since we left Tampa we have stayed in touch. We have pictures of a visit we made to their boat when they lived in Portsmouth, VA in a marina. (I still marvel at how this concrete sailboat stayed afloat.) We were delighted when George and Lois contacted us recently and mentioned they were heading north to celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary. Following a train ride from VA to New Haven, CT, they rented a car and arrived in Windsor Locks late Saturday morning. We had a wonderful visit that afternoon and evening.

Today they worshipped with us and then joined as we shared a fellowship luncheon at our church. I marvel at how this friendship forged so many years ago has continued to the present. We laughed and shared stories about our children who have grown and now are on their own (except for our Shawn). Following lunch today we had to allow them to continue trekking northward to Maine where they will connect with other friends for more celebrating and remembering. We pray for God's protection on them as travel in celebration of 49 years of married life.

Recently I have been thinking alot about friends from my past. Not only have we been able to have them visit us, but I have discovered that the world of the internet has allowed me to connect with many longtime friends. Through Facebook and my blog I have made contact with folks from my college days at Berkshire Christian College and from various places where I have lived. I cannot help but be thankful to God each time I discover friends whom God has been guiding just as he has me and my family. I wonder who I may hear from in the near future, perhaps someone whom I had lost contact with but God is still using in His Kingdom's work. It excites me as I anticipate what's next.

Blessed be the LORD!

""Blessed be the LORD! for he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." Psalm 28:6&7 (ESV)

This morning we placed a call to Josh and Jennifer and were pleased to find that Jennifer was feeling like herself again, with no lasting effects of her ordeal of yesterday. We were able to speak to both Josh and Jen and they are praising God for His faithfulness and provision to them.

We want to thank all of your who have called and prayed and joined us in this time of trial. Your commitment to share this burden is a source of great comfort. We ask that you now join us in singing a song of thanksgiving to the LORD for His faithful provision.

The news from Jen is that the doctors really don't know what caused her illness. They have suggested it might be a virus or some other transitory problem. We are asking God to sustain her and make her well. Josh and Jen are putting their trust in the LORD and relying on Him to see them through. We can truly sing from our hearts, "How great is our God!"

Join Me in Praying

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock." Isaiah 26:3&4 (ESV)

It was just about 2 weeks ago that I shared this verse as I was heading for my knee surgery. Tonight I cling to it as I await word on my daughter-in-law, Jennifer, who was taken to the hospital this afternoon. Josh and Jennifer live in Birmingham, AL where Jennifer began to experience some serious symptoms earlier today. Tonight they are awaiting a visit from the doctor to discuss what they found after several different tests were performed.

It is in times of helplessness that the promise of God listed above becomes so meaningful. It is God alone who will see Jennifer and Josh through this ordeal and it is God alone we are to look to. I don't know why I am having such a hard time learning this lesson, but apparently God still needs to teach me more, since we keep finding our family facing times of uncertainty when we must trust in the Lord.

As I was writing this Josh called. He reports the doctors can find nothing wrong and as soon as they get a prescription filled and the discharge orders written, she will be released to go home. We praise our Sovereign God for His provision for Jennifer and Josh. And we thank all of you who joined us in praying. Josh heard from several of you and wants us to thank you. He reported that at one point nearly half his church family in Birmingham had gathered at the emergency room at the hospital. What a blessing and witness that was to Josh and Jen as well as the entire hospital staff.

Please keep Jennifer in your prayers, that she will fully recover and have no recurrence of this problem. Thank you for sharing this trial with us and in so doing fulfilling the law of Christ.

To God be the glory!

Thanks Senator Dirksen

Tonight we had a wonderful dinner, it was prepared by my wife from a recipe that came to her from our son David's mother-in-law. It is called Senator Dirksen's Chicken. It is a wonderful dish made from asparagus soup, asparagus, mushrooms and chicken with various other ingredients. We had some brown rice and corn to compliment the entree and I am a very contented (=stuffed) husband tonight. My thanks to Marilu for sharing the recipe and to Senator Dirksen for lending his name to the dish.

Because the meal was so outstanding and my wife had worked so hard to prepare it, I decided to do the dishes (ok, my wife helped me to decide). That's when I got to wondering about doing dishes. When did doing the dishes become such a hi tech undertaking!?!

First I must tell you, my wife and I have fundamentally different approaches to doing the dishes. My wife feels compelled to fill the sink within an inch of overflowing and then use an amazingly large amount of dish detergent in order to produce a mountain of suds. Then the soaking dishes are washed in this soapy water which becomes increasingly filled with grease and food products until the process is complete (often necessitating draining and refilling the sink to get fresh water to contaminate all over again). My approach is to fill a large dish or pot with hot water and a little dish detergent. Then using only the water necessary I rinse the plate and wash it with a soapy dish clothe dipped into the container of soapy water. The dishes never sit in dirty water and the amount of soap necessary is greatly reduced. You can decide for yourselves which approach is the wiser. That is not what got me wondering tonight. What I noticed was the dish detergent.

I remember Palmolive being the green detergent that Madge used to have women soak their hands in before having a manicure. Now it has become Ultra Palmolive Scrub Buster with Micro Beads!!!! What is that? I was almost afraid the stuff would explode when I mixed it with hot water. The dishes got clean, but no cleaner or easier than with the old Palmolive. I guess we have become so conditioned that there has got to be an easier way that the people who want to sell us dish detergent must come up with more "powerful" sounding names to get us to buy their product.

I wonder how many Christians are looking for an easier way to become a follower of Christ? I have not found a substitute for the example of Jesus, dying to self and doing God's will and not my own. I don't always succeed, but I have stopped trying to find an easier way since Jesus said I would have to take up my cross daily and follow Him. That sounds like just plain old hard work, just like doing the dishes.

A New Week

We had a good day as we worshiped the Lord today. I always love coming together with the body of Christ at the Lord's Table. After church we went to eat at a wonderful place we found in West Hartford. Following lunch Barb and I visited a friend who recently had knee replacement surgery. He is doing very well and is in wonderful spirits. I am so happy my surgery was minor compared to his. We got home at about 3:30 and it was nap time and then a three mile walk on the treadmill. First time I have done that since long before my surgery.

Tomorrow I will be going to see my surgeon and I am hoping to be turned loose to resume my walking and exercise routine. Shawn, our youngest son, is now on the tennis team and I'd like to begin to play against him. We also want to get out for some golf. And that doesn't even take into account all the yard work that now needs to be done as things start to turn green.

I have been reading a number of blogs of other people and it is great to see all the things going on in the lives of family and friends. My facebook page has also allowed me to catch up with some folks I haven't heard from in a long time, its been great.

My sports teams have been struggling this weekend. The UConn women lost their NCAA final four game against Stanford. The Red Sox got swept in Toronto. Both UCLA and UNC lost in the men's final four, and they were the two teams I had picked to go to the final. I guess I am not a prophet. The only good news was the Celtics clinched home court advantage throughout the playoffs in NBA basketball.

I have been especially enjoying two of the books I am reading currently. My devotional compiled of AW Tozer writings has been very challenging in the area of pastoral leadership. And the book, Jesus the Pastor by John W. Frye has made me think hard about how I do pastoral ministry. I am really being challenged to keep reading new material and put it into practice. And of course, I continue to find great comfort from reading God's Word on a daily basis.

I hope this blog allows you to catch a glimpse of my life and please feel free to leave a comment if you want to say hello.

Looking Ahead

"Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
James 4:15 (ESV)

Last night I was working on making plane reservations for some trips I will be taking in May, June and July. As I was making those reservations I began to wonder what would happen if I couldn't make the trips I was planning. (My recent surgery was a reminder that things can come up unexpectedly.)

It was then that I was reminded of what James wrote in his short letter. He reminded us to always keep in mind the reality that the Lord is in control of the details of our lives. Another verse that has often reminded me of this truth is Proverbs 16:9 (ESV) where we read, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." It is so important that we insure each day that our plans are surrendered to the God of creation who is sovereign over the affairs of men. What we plan to do will be realized in accordance with God's plans for us and for His Kingdom.

It is my daily prayer that I seek God's direction before I settle on my plans. And whatever those plans end up being, I strive to hold them loosely so God can change them easily, should he so desire. I hope you can recognize that truth for yourself. It is a lesson I find myself learning again and again.

Looking Back

It's now Tuesday, and I can look back to Friday and thank the Lord my surgery is over. I am so thankful for arthroscopic surgery techniques. After a couple of days of pain and limited activities, I was able to preach on Sunday and travel to Peabody, MA on Monday. Today I am almost walking normally again, and can only thank God for medical advancements that allow some problems to be corrected quickly. I wonder what it might have been like to have had a limp for the rest of my life?

As I traveled in the car yesterday, I thought about those we had in our home on Easter Sunday for dinner. What a great time we shared.

My wife prepared a great turkey dinner and we shared wonderful fellowship with some of the folks from our church. In addition to our family, we had three of our young adults join us for lunch. Two of our friends may soon be off to find jobs elswhere, but we have sincerely enjoyed sharing worship services and mealtimes with them.

Our youngest son, Shawn, is growing up so fast we can hardly keep track. His clothes are very quickly too small. He has spent any warm days playing basketball in our driveway.

Last Friday, the day of my surgery, Shawn took a young lady to her junior prom and we couldn't believe how mature he look dressed in a tux and escorting this young lady. See for yourself.

I am often amazed at how life passes us by while we are busy living. Have you ever wondered about that?