I have an easy birthday to remember......12345......December 3, 1945. I've never been very much of a proponent of "celebrating" holidays, like Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, wedding anniversaries or birthdays, while I do make a point of observing Memorial Day, Veterans Day and prominent historical events. But yesterday a lot of people wished me a Happy 70th Birthday with texts, cards, calls, singing, and invites to a meal.
When people ask me what my birthday is, I always respond "12345" and say there is no excuse to ever forget my birthday even though most people I know do forget it. I had a law school friend who knew my birthday, but for the years I knew him always gave me a card on January 23, with the comment that, after all, it was still 12345, just 1-23-45, instead of 12-3-45.
I did have a wonderful birthday, though. It is amazing to me that I am now 70 and still not old enough to play softball with The Kids and Kubs in the Tampa Bay, Florida area. Still have five years to go to be able to do that, but will probably decline that " profession" since it's been about 20 years since I last played ball. A pulled hamstring convinced me that my softball days needed to come to an end then.
In any event, yesterday was fun. Living this long has been fun and I think there are still things on God's agenda for us, so we will carry on and heed the call. And, by the way, if you didn't remember my birthday, or didn't know when my birthday was.......there's always January 23rd.
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Friday, December 4, 2015
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
December 1, 2015. Madison, GA. Four Days Off
It was nice to have a four day break from my "work" at Source of Light. Karen has been under the weather with something she brought from Arkansas that was compounded by something that has been making the rounds here so she has been "down" for over two weeks. With only two television stations, and those dependent on the weather conditions, she has been reading a lot, watching a bunch of DVD's and catching a lot of daytime zzzz's. She is doing better and ready to get back to her duties, but at a less than energizer bunny pace.
I just wanted to let my body get some relief from the almost constant activity of the past two years on the road. I didn't really appreciate how pooped I was until I made a conscious effort to do nothing, or as close to nothing as I could. When I did go back to leaf patrol yesterday, it was nice to finish the day and realize that I wasn't exhausted. The break had been worthwhile.
Karen and I have enjoyed our volunteer roles in the church and as on-the-road ministers, and have always been willing to help where needed, but we both know that we can sometimes overdo it, and rest and time off needs to be part of the equation of our life. Hopefully, we can get Karen back to feeling good, and me more rested and free from the aches and pains of physical labor. We're so blessed to be able to do what we are doing, have the freedom to travel or not travel and serve where we have been serving. We have made some wonderful friends, matured in our faith and been able to minister and be ministered to in ways we would never have imagined when we set out from Fort Collins nearly two years ago. What a journey God has orchestrated for us. Thank You, Lord
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I just wanted to let my body get some relief from the almost constant activity of the past two years on the road. I didn't really appreciate how pooped I was until I made a conscious effort to do nothing, or as close to nothing as I could. When I did go back to leaf patrol yesterday, it was nice to finish the day and realize that I wasn't exhausted. The break had been worthwhile.
Karen and I have enjoyed our volunteer roles in the church and as on-the-road ministers, and have always been willing to help where needed, but we both know that we can sometimes overdo it, and rest and time off needs to be part of the equation of our life. Hopefully, we can get Karen back to feeling good, and me more rested and free from the aches and pains of physical labor. We're so blessed to be able to do what we are doing, have the freedom to travel or not travel and serve where we have been serving. We have made some wonderful friends, matured in our faith and been able to minister and be ministered to in ways we would never have imagined when we set out from Fort Collins nearly two years ago. What a journey God has orchestrated for us. Thank You, Lord
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, November 28, 2015
November 28, 2015. Madison, GA. Old Friends
I'm not a country boy. I grew up in mid-sized cities, went to college and law school in big cities, never had a pet other than a paranoid cat for about three months, and was never around animals. But for the past two years at the Passion Play we have been close to animals and I have developed a fondness for them, especially donkeys. The Passion Play donkeys are a hoot. I made a point of visiting them in the barn area whenever I had some free time and was able to have closer contact with them during the Play when I had the role of either Thomas or Philip, who fetched the donkey for Jesus before the Triumphal Entry scene.
Here in Madison, we are adjacent to a large field which "feeds" a herd of cattle and four donkeys. A year ago, I befriended the donkeys here and when we came back earlier this month I was able to renew that friendship. A few days ago we met at the fence, had a petting and sniffing session and I was able to get some pictures. It's been wonderful to catch up with our human friends here and get back to the work of the ministry, but it gives me such a peaceful, contented feeling to be with friends who expect nothing more than having their nose and forehead rubbed, their back scratched and maybe some freshly mown grass to eat. All part of God's glorious creation for us to enjoy.
Sent from my iPad
Here in Madison, we are adjacent to a large field which "feeds" a herd of cattle and four donkeys. A year ago, I befriended the donkeys here and when we came back earlier this month I was able to renew that friendship. A few days ago we met at the fence, had a petting and sniffing session and I was able to get some pictures. It's been wonderful to catch up with our human friends here and get back to the work of the ministry, but it gives me such a peaceful, contented feeling to be with friends who expect nothing more than having their nose and forehead rubbed, their back scratched and maybe some freshly mown grass to eat. All part of God's glorious creation for us to enjoy.
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
November 25, 2015. Madison, GA. Bob
We met Bob and Wanda Hearing a few days after we arrived in Madison, just over a year ago. They lived just up the hill from our RV site. They were a couple in their mid-80's and had been with Source of Light Ministries for about 7 years, after a long career in the mission and various ministry fields. They were purchasing agents for SLMI. Bob had been Director of the Madison Discipleship School (MDS) for a number of years.
Bob had surgery for a cancer condition the week before Thanksgiving last year, and while he was in surgery, Wanda began to unexpectedly bleed internally and before her condition could be addressed, she died right there in the hospital the day after Thanksgiving. Bob awoke from surgery to be told that Wanda had passed away.
But Bob was a fighter, recovered from that surgery, returned to work and was determined to continue on at SLMI and was doing very well. When Karen and I came back to Madison three weeks ago, we were glad to see Bob doing so well, working in MDS again, and deeply committed to guiding prison inmates through the Bible Correspondence Courses. He became emotional whenever one of his "students" accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and he was moved by the letters he received and the exchange of communication with them. Last Friday, Bob worked his normal hours, went shopping for groceries on Saturday morning and when he returned home, he carried one load of bags into the house, and while taking the second load in, suffered a massive stroke and fell while going up the outside stairs. He was found a short time later, taken by ambulance to the hospital in Athens and never regained consciousness. Bob went to be with his Lord and Savior this morning at 5:55. The man he trained to take his place as Director of MDS was with him when he went to Glory. Brian had been reading some of the Correspondence Course answers to Bob through the night and while Bob was not conscious, he was "working" until the end.
Bob was a fighter for The Lord. Like the apostle Paul, Bob was prepared to do whatever was needed here to serve the Lord, but he was also prepared to be with the Lord, and his beloved Wanda in Heaven. Wanda, with The Lord the day after Thanksgiving, 2014; Bob with the Lord the day before Thanksgiving, 2015. Bob's children were delayed by weather from seeing him before he passed on, but they did arrive just a short while ago. We grieve for their loss, but we are glad for Bob and the new life he now enjoys in Heaven. We are thankful that we got to be with the Hearings, if only for a brief time. Their lives, and their new lives, are an inspiration to us and the many others they touched over the years. Thank you, Wanda. Thank you Bob.......and, Thank You, Lord.
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Bob had surgery for a cancer condition the week before Thanksgiving last year, and while he was in surgery, Wanda began to unexpectedly bleed internally and before her condition could be addressed, she died right there in the hospital the day after Thanksgiving. Bob awoke from surgery to be told that Wanda had passed away.
But Bob was a fighter, recovered from that surgery, returned to work and was determined to continue on at SLMI and was doing very well. When Karen and I came back to Madison three weeks ago, we were glad to see Bob doing so well, working in MDS again, and deeply committed to guiding prison inmates through the Bible Correspondence Courses. He became emotional whenever one of his "students" accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and he was moved by the letters he received and the exchange of communication with them. Last Friday, Bob worked his normal hours, went shopping for groceries on Saturday morning and when he returned home, he carried one load of bags into the house, and while taking the second load in, suffered a massive stroke and fell while going up the outside stairs. He was found a short time later, taken by ambulance to the hospital in Athens and never regained consciousness. Bob went to be with his Lord and Savior this morning at 5:55. The man he trained to take his place as Director of MDS was with him when he went to Glory. Brian had been reading some of the Correspondence Course answers to Bob through the night and while Bob was not conscious, he was "working" until the end.
Bob was a fighter for The Lord. Like the apostle Paul, Bob was prepared to do whatever was needed here to serve the Lord, but he was also prepared to be with the Lord, and his beloved Wanda in Heaven. Wanda, with The Lord the day after Thanksgiving, 2014; Bob with the Lord the day before Thanksgiving, 2015. Bob's children were delayed by weather from seeing him before he passed on, but they did arrive just a short while ago. We grieve for their loss, but we are glad for Bob and the new life he now enjoys in Heaven. We are thankful that we got to be with the Hearings, if only for a brief time. Their lives, and their new lives, are an inspiration to us and the many others they touched over the years. Thank you, Wanda. Thank you Bob.......and, Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, November 22, 2015
November 22, 2015. Madison, GA. November 22, 1963
It was 52 years ago, this date. As I was on my way to class at New York University a report came over a car radio near the main classroom building. President John F. Kennedy had been shot and was being rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas. No further news at that time. I was only 17 years old, a freshman in college, and not yet eligible to vote. I had attended a Kennedy rally in Schenectady, New York when he was running for President in 1960 and was close enough to him at that time that I felt like I knew him personally.
But that Friday in 1963, I felt like I was reading a novel and not experiencing a piece of history which would change many things in our country and alter my ideas of what was important and where I might end up after college. The events of the next few days, the capture and then death of Lee Harvey Oswald, the investigations, speculation, suspicions, the Warren Commission Report, conspiracy theories, documentaries and Hollywood renditions of the events all fueled a growing distrust and uncertainty. Were we being told the truth about the events of that day and were other events open to question as well? The uncertainty seems to go on even to this day.
That day, so many years ago left a lasting impression on me. Many history-making events have occurred since then, far too numerous to list here, but something changed on that Friday afternoon and I still remember the empty feeling, the fear, the loneliness and the reality of a loss of innocence and the security I had felt when I left home to attend college in the Big City. I gave a little thought to this date in history as I looked at the calendar a few days ago, not thinking it would be a blog topic, but it grabbed me as I wrote the date on the subject line just now.
Life holds no certainties for us, no guarantees of success, no promise beyond the present moment. God knows, but He doesn't put it down in writing for us other than the Words of Scripture and in that we do have certainty, guarantees and promises to rest on. And for this, I gratefully say.......Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
But that Friday in 1963, I felt like I was reading a novel and not experiencing a piece of history which would change many things in our country and alter my ideas of what was important and where I might end up after college. The events of the next few days, the capture and then death of Lee Harvey Oswald, the investigations, speculation, suspicions, the Warren Commission Report, conspiracy theories, documentaries and Hollywood renditions of the events all fueled a growing distrust and uncertainty. Were we being told the truth about the events of that day and were other events open to question as well? The uncertainty seems to go on even to this day.
That day, so many years ago left a lasting impression on me. Many history-making events have occurred since then, far too numerous to list here, but something changed on that Friday afternoon and I still remember the empty feeling, the fear, the loneliness and the reality of a loss of innocence and the security I had felt when I left home to attend college in the Big City. I gave a little thought to this date in history as I looked at the calendar a few days ago, not thinking it would be a blog topic, but it grabbed me as I wrote the date on the subject line just now.
Life holds no certainties for us, no guarantees of success, no promise beyond the present moment. God knows, but He doesn't put it down in writing for us other than the Words of Scripture and in that we do have certainty, guarantees and promises to rest on. And for this, I gratefully say.......Thank You, Lord.
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, November 19, 2015
November 19, 2015. Source of Light Ministries International, Madison, GA. Go and Make Disciples
Source of Light Ministries' main mission is to create and print Bible Correspondence Courses, disseminate them to missionaries around the world who then use the lessons to disciple people and bring them to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In one way or another, everyone here at SLMI is in the "business" of making disciples. Many of the workers here, whether paid or volunteer, have been in the Mission Field, have been preachers, evangelists, involved in outreach, prison ministry, church planting or any number of other Matthew 28:19-type endeavors.
Since we have been in Madison, there has been a big push to prepare the "Reaper", a quarterly review of SLMI activities and a means of securing funds needed to operate the ministry. We printed, collated and ink-jetted labels on over 30,000 copies which were bulk-mailed to donors and others on the SLM mailing list. Quite a task, completed this afternoon, and then back to the normal activity of printing, collating, packaging and inventorying lessons for the many courses to be sent out by the Madison Discipleship School to people wanting to learn more about Jesus Christ, His purpose for their life and the need to dedicate that life fully to Him.
How desperately this world needs Jesus, the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Go and Make Disciples. We can all do our part, by praying, giving our time and resources where we see God at work, and "going" where God calls us; to a foreign country, another city or state, our own neighborhood or around the corner and take the message of Jesus Christ with us. Yes, go and make disciples.
Sent from my iPad
Since we have been in Madison, there has been a big push to prepare the "Reaper", a quarterly review of SLMI activities and a means of securing funds needed to operate the ministry. We printed, collated and ink-jetted labels on over 30,000 copies which were bulk-mailed to donors and others on the SLM mailing list. Quite a task, completed this afternoon, and then back to the normal activity of printing, collating, packaging and inventorying lessons for the many courses to be sent out by the Madison Discipleship School to people wanting to learn more about Jesus Christ, His purpose for their life and the need to dedicate that life fully to Him.
How desperately this world needs Jesus, the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Go and Make Disciples. We can all do our part, by praying, giving our time and resources where we see God at work, and "going" where God calls us; to a foreign country, another city or state, our own neighborhood or around the corner and take the message of Jesus Christ with us. Yes, go and make disciples.
Sent from my iPad
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