Happy 4th Birthday, Olivia!!

This is Olivia Grace's 4th birthday! What a miracle she is. Beginning life at 1 lb., 7 oz. and 3 months early is quite a feat. But she pulled it off! Now she is in preschool learning and doing and enjoying life. Like her mother, she loves to make friends and talk to people. Her big brother Dylan, who was only with us about 6 days, had to rush back to heaven to search for just the right sister to send to Jim and Kari. I think he did an excellent job! Anyway, happy birthday, Olivia!

We just made a long trip together to Denver. Each time she crawled into the car (she wanted to do it herself), she always called up to me at the driver's position, "We're not ready yet, Papa!" Also, on this trip, she discovered that her Papa and her Daddy had to go to the Boys' restroom. (This was a great revelation, and she came back from the restroom to announce, "Papa, you have to go to the boys' restroom." Good to know!)

Ugh! So much to do around the house, as well as at my desk. Which to do first, second, so forth. Leaves outside, writing inside! But the whole day MUST stop until I write about my Olivia. Now the day can go on.

I love you, Olivia, more, more, more.
Papa

Welcome to the Christmas Season

Today we began the Christmas season officially. And I must say that I am worn out already. After doing some around-town errands, we took all the Christmas things down from the attic (about 8 0r 9 boxes and 5 or so big black bags). We then took on the huge task of hanging the outside lights across the front of the house, and intermittently Judy worked on the leaves. Beginning about 12:30, we finished just after dark. With our house this is not an easy task, and I must say Kari was sorely, sorely missed. Last year she was here to help us. Oh, Kari, where were you today?!! But the lights do look nice!! Maybe there will be pictures later.

Tomorrow?? I will set up the Christmas tree in the living room. Wash the windows on the outside, put the lighted garland on the front porch columns, and maybe work some more on the leaves. Oh, yes! I must clean the hot tub, too.

But here is the fun of it all: working with Judy. She is such a trooper and so much fun to work with. Gotta tell you, last year I lost my nerve on the really high peak of the house, so Judy did that part of the lights. Same thing this year. I can't believe I am telling you this. Makes me look like a woos, but only because I am. Judy gets the big trophy!!

Around the World in 80 Days!

Ok, not that long and not that far! But sometimes it seemed like it. Judy and I and Kari and her girls made a trip to Denver, Colorado, pre-Thanksgiving (Friday to Tuesday) to see a niece/cousin married. Got back to Muskogee on Tuesday night late. Up and off on Wednesday morning to Dallas for Thanksgiving, home again on Saturday afternoon. Whew! I am tired.

Here are some pictures for you. Both of our girls have cars with DVD players and headphones. Suer make a trip nicer -- especially a long one. Here are our cute granddaughters watching movies and ignoring us. First are Ava and Olivia in their Chrysler Pacifica. Then Caitlyn in her Chevy Suburban. Brent has not developed an interst in the movies, as yet. But give him time.

We arrived home to NO flowers. Winter is here. Now we just have to hang on till next spring. More pictures and thought about the trips in the days to come.

I have failed to highlight our October visitors from South Africa. Every October Ron and Rina Kinnear come to our house for 10-12 days in October. This is their 2nd time in Muskogee. Here we are having breakfast on the patio. Everyone is all bundled up like it is very cold, but it was between 65 and 70 degrees! (So far the leaves hadn't started falling, so the patio looks somewhat clean. By now, the umbrella is stored in the garage, and leaves are swirling around on the patio. I pick up about 2 bags worth every other day. It looks so nice, then the next morning when I look out, my heart sags.) Back to Ron and Rina. They are so delightful to have -- always. We look forward to their coming, and hate to see them go. The first night they were here, when Judy and I crawled into bed, she said, "It's like they were never gone." How true. Good friends!



On the first Saturday they were here, Judy's uncle and aunt celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary just south of Springfield, Mo. So we made a day of it and took Ron and Rina with us. It was a great day. We met up with some of Judy's family in Springfield, and had time to visit Bass Pro. Ron and Rina had never experienced anything like it (for those of you who have been there). It was a little hard to get them out of there and on to the celebration, but we did.



As you can see in the above picture, we were with Judy's sister Sue, her sister Terrie and two of Terrie's children, Dallas and Emily; and of course, Judy's Dad and Mom, Dallas and Pat. Ron took the picture. I had blogged earlier about her uncle's and aunt's celebration. (See Saturday, October 13 in my blog archives to the right.)

Colossians tells us to "let the peace of God rule in our hearts." And the song has been going around and around in me, "He is my peace Who has broken down every wall." I can get really peaceful just looking at the beautiful pictures I took in the Bahamas this year. Judy's sister and husband, Bob & Sue, have twice provided us the opportunity of great peace in nature. The last time was in April when we sailed with them for a week in the Bahamas. These are some of those really peaceful pictures. As beautiful as these beaches, just remember that God loves you even more! But also know that as the beaches and clouds are constantly changing, so is your life constantly changing -- by his design. So just let his peace rule while the changes are happening.


Note the name of Bob and Sue's boat, Refuge. And it truly was for us. Whether sailing or in harbor, it was alway a reminder of God's great care and provision for us. We can just lay back in his love, take refuge in his care.

I know it is hard to believe that such beautiful places exist, but they do. We have been there, but I am still awed by its beauty just in pictures. The sounds are just as real to me as the picture is. Amazing that just this picture remembrance can cause such peace. So can Christ give us peace just by resting in his Word and allowing the words of the page to paint a beautiful picture in us of his great peace.


You can't imagine the thrill of slicing through the water with no sound but the wind in the sails!! It seemed like we were flying over the water, but we were only doing 6 knots. (I was on the front of the boat taking this picture of Judy, Sue and Bob.


Every night the sunset was always a little different, never quite the same. The natives would blow a conch (pronounced konk) shell at sunset to draw your attention to its beauty. As no two sunsets are alike, no two people are alike, and God treats each of us differently according to how he has made us. So just think, everything in your life is tailor made by the God who made you, just for you and him to enjoy together. Be blessed!

Yesterday I blogged about my grandchildren. Today I am speaking of Dylan James, our first grandchild, who is keeping my dad and Judy's mom company in heaven. It is hard to think that he would have been 5 years old now - just at that place where we could have started doing things together and having lots and lots of fun. The pictures here are of our Dylan statue in our back yard. He is facing the patio, so whenever we look out or go out, we see him looking back at us. There were two rose bushes planted in his memory, one on either side of him. However, one of them didn't make it through the winter. I guess it wanted to bloom where Dylan is. The other one, however, has bloomed throughout the summer. This picture was taken today, Nov. 10th, and there is still one beautiful red rose on it.


Every time we look at Dylan, he is looking up at us with a whimsical smile, as if to say, "I know something that you don't." After he went to heaven, Kari said, "I am so afraid that we will forget him." I told her she needn't worry, I never would. I look out and enjoy his presence, and sometimes even shed a tear or two. It would have been fun.... But someday, it will be great!
Blessings, Dylan, I love you, too.

."
It's Papa-time tonight. I just love the pictures of my grandchildren that show up on Kari's and Stephanie's blogs. If you don't check their blogs from time to time, I want to show some of the pictures they post. One is of Caitlyn and little Brent. Caitlyn calls him her "little sister". But then when you ask her her name, she says "me." Check the link to the right for Stephanie's blog to see the cutest pictures of her sleeping with Cali, the dog. She gets up in the night, goes downstairs and snuggles up with Cali. Aren't kids amazing?

The other picture is Olivia and Ava in their cute costumes. Kari worked to help Olivia learn a little joke to tell as she went trick-or-treating. (Knock, knock. Who's there? Boo. Boo who? I didn't mean to make you cry.) Last Monday she sang the song from "Dancing with the Stars" when we spoke on the phone. I resisted the temptation to show the picture of Ava with lipstick all over her face. (You can follow the link to the right for Kari's blog.) After she smeared her face good, then she was unhappy. She can't stand to be messy. Imagine! And where did she get that little trait, anyway?

Today, I am highlighting Judy's art work. Before Brent was born in September, Judy made a special trip to Stephanie's to paint a mural on Brent's and Caitlyn's bedroom walls. The one in Brent's room is a hunting scene (of course) with their two labs, Chauncey and Cali. Notice the frog jumping off the rock and the geese in the sky. Caitlyn's is daisies and butterflies. This artistry was at the request of Stephanie. She has always had very definite ideas of what she wants in her house, and I think this was a good choice. Judy did expert work. Just wanted you to see it.

For having no 'job' at the moment, we have been very busy with many things. The Lord is so good to us, and we are enjoying the day-to-day walk with him. We believe he is beginning to 'stir us up' on the inside, getting us ready for our new assignment.

Well, yesterday, as I said, I raked and removed leaves. Of course, today it isn't as obvious as it was when I finished yesterday. But these are the pictures to prove that I did the work.

After raking the leaves into a pile, I used my Black & Decker blower/vacuum to mulch the leaves and bag them. That is the first of many bags of leaves to finish the job. But it is enjoyable work. Not much effort, except for getting the tools out and putting them up, but the results are very satisfying.

Today, Judy is putting out winter flowers in her gardens to help out with the passing of the summer flowers.

After yesterday's shameless selling on my post, I thought I better write something less crass.

I really am enjoying my girls' blogs (see links to the right). It used to be emails and cell phones, but now we have added blogs. It is so much fun to read (almost) daily recounts of their lives. And the pictures we get are so warming. Things that the granddaughters say that are so cute, we get to 'hear' almost immediately.

I collect giraffes, and I have about 30 or so now in stand-alone, groups, pictures, etc. The other day I was visiting with Kari, Olivia and Ava on the web cam. So while I was talking, I took my giraffe that stands about 18" tall and paraded him across the web cam. The girls really thought it was neat. Just little things like that make for a really strong day.

Today, I begin the fall task of raking leaves. I have all the equipment to do the job as quickly and neatly as possible. I just don't have the equipment to get the stuff out and put it up. Oh, well, I guess that is what makes it work instead of play. Our maple in the front yard has been fun to watch. The tree is yellow now and the leaves are falling all around it. We have green, green fescue grass with yellow leaves on it. And the leaves are falling at such a rate, it looks like it is raining leaves. But as pretty as it is, I must now get out and rake. Leaves lying on top of fescue is not a good thing for the fescue. So.....

Not much to post today, so I want to do some "selling". You will notice under My Favorite Links two new ones about Brock and Bodie Thoene books. The Thoenes have written, and are continuing to write, great historical fiction books about the plight of the Jews in WWII, the establishment of their Jewish homeland, etc. Now they are in the process of writing a series about the life of Jesus. It is absolutely wonderful stuff. I have read all of their books, and they are impossible to put down once you start. They have such wonderful insights. I am told that Brock is a master researcher, and Bodie is the writer part of the team. (Thoene is pronounced TAY-nee.)

One link leads you to their web site (Thoene Home site). Have a look around, and if you find something that is interesting, maybe go to the 2nd link (Thoene Books to buy) and order it. You really should read their series in a certain order since some of the people show up in other places in their books. Here is the basic order: Zion Covenant, Zion Chronicles, Zion Legacy, A D Chronicles. This will start you in 1939 Germany and take you to modern day Israel. It is fascinating reading, to say the least. If you really want to get with it, you could start with Shiloh Legacy and Shiloh Autumn, THEN Zion Covenant (you will see how some American boys get involved in all this). Look into the Books tab of their site and see each book written with a short synopsis.

Enjoy! And by the way, being perfectly honest, anyone who buys a book through this 2nd link affords me a 4% profit. Not much, but it does help.

End of infomercial - the first and the last.

Yea! We have gas! On Monday, because I had smelled gas in the house, I called the gas company to come and check for a gas leak. Sure enough, there was about a 2% gas presence in the house (not enough to cause an explosion, though). By law, they had to take the gas meter off until we could get a plumber out to find and fix the leak. Ugh! Wrong time for a plumber's bill.

I called Jerry, assistant pastor at the church we have been attending. He immediately began calling plumber friends he knows, and by the late afternoon found someone who could help us. Adam came by on Tuesday after work, put on a pressure test, but couldn't find a strong leak. He left the pressure on overnight, and the next morning it was way down. So on Wednesday afternoon, after repressurizing (this time to 20# instead of 15#), and crawling under the house, he discovered a leaky valve at the heater. Sorry he had to crawl under the house to no avail, but it just shows his thoroughness. He replaced the valve, repressurized, and left. This morning I called him to say the pressure had stayed up. He called ONG to come check the pressure, they did and gave us the okay. We called the gas company and they came out and hooked up the meter. Yea!!

The only difficulty we had during this 4-day period was in drying clothes. Our disherwasher can produce its own hot water, no hot water in the kitchen, but we had hot water in our bathroom, and heat in the den/master bedroom area. It is nice to have gas again.

Oh! The plumber charged us $75 for the whole time, including the valve. Praise the Lord! And a special thanks to Jerry, who not only found us a plumber (I am sure he had nothing else to do.), but called every day (during preparing for the youth halloween party at church) to check on us and see what the progress was on our adventure. The Lord has sooo blessed us!


Hats off to Jerry, a great guy and good friend!!

Oh, how good the Lord is to us. He meets us at every place in our need, and always gives us joy and satisfaction. We received the final settlement on Judy's car yesterday, and the check was way big. Although we miss that beautiful car, we are pleased with our Lord and his treatment of us.

Paul says that in whatever state he finds himself, he is content (Philippians). That Greek word for content is "independent of the circumstances." So whether Paul was well off or under testing and trial, he found that his inner well-being was never determined by the circumstances around him. Instead, he was able to stay above his good or bad situation, due to the work of Christ in his life. He said that he had been "made to sit together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus." That's our victory ground, given to us not by any merit of our own. We have to step off of victory ground to be "in a mess." But if we stay where he has "made us" to be, then we can always have victory - no matter what! "Thanks be unto God who ALWAYS (and in all ways) causes us to triumph in Christ."

Not much to say today, except welcome to my daughter Stephanie. (She is on the right in the picture.) She has joined the bloggers in our family with a really nice blog. Her sister Kari (designer) and I (name suggestions) helped her get started. And her first blog is really great. Check my favorite links to the right of this column. It is called It's Finally Recess. Isn't that a great name for a school teacher? Anyway, check it out.

I know I say this a lot, but I do have really great girls. They are such a joy to be around. Now I can read what is going on in their lives. So, let's see: we have Instant Messenger with web cams, cell phones with free minutes phone-to-phone, and now blogs. Can it be said that we are a very connected family? From Texas to Missouri to Oklahoma, we are one.

Today, I am highlighting my grandson Brent. He is a Texan, to be sure. Please notice the "hook 'em horns" sign he is giving over my back. Just 6-weeks old and he is already displaying his loyalty to the great state of Texas (a whole nuther country)!

Also, I am highlighting Judy's beautiful front yard gardens which have been resplendent with flowers all summer long. We often just stroll slowly through the gardens to enjoy them, and they give us a great uplift of rest and energy. I am amazed at how many people drive by and look. Brent's big sister Caitlyn is playing in the sprinkler system in a couple of the pictures. And the black Suburban is her parents' (Jeff and Stephie) new (to them) vehicle.

AND, a big happy birthday cheer to our daughter Kari on her birthday today! She, too, is a blessed woman with a wonderful husband, two lovely daughters, a marvelous home in a great community, and a precious son waiting for her in heaven. You go, Kari!!

Okay, this is my second blog today, don't expect this every day. But I just love this picture of Caitlyn. She looks like a little cheerleader doing a cheer. It is so much fun to look at it. She is a doll, to be sure. I know I published it a few days ago, but I just love it so much.

Stephanie started back teaching last Wednesday, and she said it is going very well. She is such a great teacher of children. Here are a couple of pictures of her classroom. She is so organized, and her classes run so smoothly. If you have to be away from your babies, it should be doing something that you truly love. And she does love teaching the children. (Notice her two great helpers who came to get her class ready at the first
of the year. Moi was taking the pictures.

The church where we are attending while we are waiting for our new assignment from the Lord is adding on to their building. In the process they have to move their youth building (a separate metal structure) further back of the main building so they can add to the new building. Yesterday, 54 pier holes were augured out, and I went over to help. It was fun. We augured, and filled with concrete. It was a great afternoon. Feels good to do something with physical labor, then come home!

On the way home, Judy called to say that some friends wanted to take us to supper. Of course, that was a nice evening, as well. The Lord is so good to us. Judy and I are enjoying being at home together with one another, working together on projects, and just being near one another.

This morning, the Lord woke me with this song: Great Is Thy Faithfulness. So I said to Judy, let's make this a day of thanksgiving to God for his faithfulness to us in all things. Our morning communion together concerned his faithfulness and uncommon favor to us as we partook of the Lord's supper. We are blessed, blessed, blessed.

Today, I think we have finally reached a place where we (Judy & I) can begin to seek the Lord for directions in our lives. We have gotten pressing things out of the way, and have entertained our friends from South Africa. We have attended two memorial services in Tulsa. So...now we can begin to concentrate on ourselves and our direction of life.

As Shakespeare said, "That's where the rub comes in." How do you hear God's voice? How do you know God's direction? How much should your income (or lack thereof) determine what you do? I am convinced that there are no easy answers to the questions. But I do know that it is important to do some very definite things to at least be able to hear from God. (I once said that every message/lesson that I preach/teach is not without personal cost. Too true!!)

I do know that you have to:
1. Release your own purposes. This is very hard to do, for anyone. And I am not sure that anyone can be totally successful in it. But one can begin, and then continue to release as the Lord shows him/her other issues.

2. Don't perpetuate the past. Whatever has worked before, probably won't work now. Faith is a growing thing. Yesterday's faith is no good for today. The principles of God are always good, the way we used to do things, probably isn't.

3. Wait on God. Ps. 37:7 - "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Now doesn't that just open a whole can of worms? How do you rest? How do you wait?

4. Stay close to the written Word of God. Keep it before you, read it regularly, meditate on what you have read. Keep your mind on God

5. Watch for the moving of the Spirit. God told David that he should go up against the Philistines, but to wait till he heard the sound of marching in the mulberry trees. (Have you ever?) But somehow, if you are obeying God, you will recognize the signal.

So you can see (and I am writing mainly and purposefully to my daughters who are the only ones, for sure, that read this blog) that getting your next direction from the Lord is an other-worldly proposition. I might add that one should be attentive to every message they hear preached and every word of encouragement they receive. God has many ways to speak to us.

Further, and on a lighter note, you should check Kari's Ramblings (see link to the right of this page) to enjoy some fun videos that she made with Olivia and Ava.

We had a great visit from our Texas grandkids this week, actually two visits. Last Wednesday, Jeff, Stephanie, Caitlyn & Brent stopped in for supper and overnight on their way to Missouri. Sunday they stopped by for a rest stop in the afternoon on their way home. It is always so great to see them. Judy took some great pictures while they were here. Here are three: Caitlyn; Jeff/Steph/Caitlyn with their new car; and Brent (6 weeks old).

Caitlyn is 2 1/2 years and puts on her own clothes, socks and shoes. She is so nurturing with Brent. Don't you just love the "cheerleader" outfit. That's what I call it, she looks so preppy. Brent LOVES to eat (get ready for some larger food bills in the years to come). He is growing and changing every time we see him. I can't wait till he can crawl or toddle around. It will be so much fun to play with him then.

Daddy sure loves his children. It is so nice to watch him with them. I so love seeing my sons-in-law interact with their children. Both Jeff and Jim are very, very good with their kids.

The memorial service for Gerry & Lelan Akins was today, in Tulsa. What a great couple they were. They were consummate Christians, ministers and missionaries. The memorial service was conducted by Ron Kinnear, Dale Toedt and me. Judy designed the special program brochure and the powerpoint about their lives. Jo Ann Toedt planned the whole event, including the luncheon afterwards. The music was great (thanks Rebekah Northrip for playing), the sharing from the congregation gave us such great memories, and the speakers were good. The Akins would have been so pleased. It was the best memorial service I have ever attended.

It was also a sad day. Ron & Rina Kinnear left, after a visit of 12 days. We had such good times together (we always do)! What good friends we have. Everyone should have friends like we have. Ron and Rina are some of our best friends. They come each year in October, and it is always like there has been no time span between visits. Now they are on to their next stop and eventually home to South Africa.

Ugh! I haven't written in awhile. When you have out-of-country guests for the week, it is hard to take time to blog. And then, we have been repairing a leak in the roof in the midst of doing other things. So far we have spent a day and a half and have a little more to go. In the midst of this we dashed up to Tulsa for an afternoon and evening of meetings with old friends and some new ones.

It is amazing how you can meet some new people just because a friend of yours wants you to, and it turns out to be a God-incidence. We found an open door for our South Africa missionaries, and open door for our new friends, and a prophet just happened to "drop by" and spoke into our lives. What an encouragement! He didn't know Judy, Ron, Rina, or me; yet he spoke directly, intently and personally to each of us concerning the things we were presently in. What a mighty God we serve!!

Today: more work on the roof (finishing touches), then Jeff, Stephanie, Caitlyn and Brent come this afternoon to stay the night as they travel to Missouri for the weekend.

What a glorious day this was!! Double yeah! We drove to Nixa, Missouri to celebrate Judy's uncle and aunt's 50th wedding anniversary. They are such a great family and so committed to Jesus. Uncle Don is a retired minister, his son is a minister, and both his sons-in-law are ministers. All the grandchildren are involved in church, and/or attending a Bible college, and one is attending a college in Nashville on a full-music scholarship. At least two of the grandchildren are song writers: Benji Ward and Rachel Harlow (We heard their songs.). Their son, Doug (our ringbearer some 37 years ago) has just taken a church in the St. Louis area after 14 successful years at another church. Son-in-law Jack Ward is in his 4th year pastoring the Countryside Christian Church in Nixa, Mo. with an attendance of 350-400. He took this church over when Uncle Don Vernon retired. Son-in-law Tim Harlow (Dr. Harlow) is in his 18th year in a church just south of Chicago. 18 years ago it ran 150, today they are having 5,000. This is a very successful family. But the secret of their success is their great love for one another and those outside the family, AND their undying commitment to Jesus.

Congratulations on 50 years of a love-filled, successful life, Uncle Don and Aunt Carol Vernon!!

I said long ago and have said many, many times since: Faith, to be faith, MUST venture into the unknown, it MUST go where it cannot see. Well, guess where we are right now! In the faith venture, I-can't-see-where-I-am-going, are-you-sure-I-am-Abraham's-seed walk. (He went out not knowing where he was going.) I must confess there is a great deal of adventure in the walk. Every day, and I mean every day, we meet people or experience situations that are absolutely astounding. Were they always there but we didn't know it? Or are they there because we are walking in faith? Who knows? Of course, there are moments that are what I call "twinges", because doubt and fear try to enter in. And Satan is forever whispering, if we choose to listen. BUT, all in all, it is pretty fantastic and exciting.

The only thing we know for sure right now is that if we keep looking to the Lord and fully trusting him, everything will be alright. Well, really, that is enough to know, isn't it.

Okay, just a little braggin'. I think I may be ahead of Kari on daily blogging.

We are so excited. Our friends from South Africa (Ron & Rina) will be here tomorrow and will stay with us for 10 days. They come once a year about this time, and it is always such a pleasure to have them. They are more our family than friends. Let's get it on!

Judy and I are reading a really good book, together. It is Mike Murdock's "The Law of Recognition". It just seems to be a very timely book for us. But interestingly enough, it seems that everything we do and everyone we visit with and every scripture we read and every sermon we hear is speaking to us. We so desperately want to hear God and be lead in his choice direction, that every spiritual nerve is heightened to the nth degree.

For instance, yesterday we were in the midst of fixing a bowl of soup for lunch when we got a call from friends wanting to meet us at a restaurant close by for lunch - their treat. (I think I wrote about this yesterday, but it still proves the point. Oh! And it's my blog.) What a refreshing time of rejoicing in the Lord! And to know that they are praying for us! We are blessed beyond measure.

Some are wondering if we have decided anything yet? Nope. We are still pressing in to God and waiting on him. But like I say, "Faith, to be faith, MUST venture into the unknown, it MUST go where it cannot see." Lord, here we come!

Today, we have been fixing up my home office, and preparing for our guests from South Africa who will arrive on Thursday for about 10 days. We have moved furniture, etc. Some friends called at lunch and asked us to meet them at a restaurant for lunch, their treat. That was so nice. We had not seen them in some time, and it was nice to renew friendships.

The estimate on our Camry is right at the line where the insurance company totals the vehicle. So we are waiting their decision. Either way is okay with us. We are looking to the Lord for his will in the matter. Here is a picture of the car. It doesn't look so bad, really. The sides are okay, the insides are fine, the motor runs just fine, and the a/c does. The back bumper was torn off, but nothing else in the back is hurt. Still over $8,000!!



I have a couple of pictures to share from the St. Louis Zoo. Maybe tomorrow, I can add some pictures of my little granddaughters. One especially with the three of us in our St. Louis Zoo hats.

Yesterday was a lovely day for us. First we visited the other PH church in town. It was a nice experience. It was their Pastor Appreciation Day. The whole program!! It was nice to see how much they loved him and appreciated him (a little hard to watch, since we are newly unchurched). But I just sat there rejoicing for him that he was so loved. He has been there 27 years.

OK. After church we headed for Tulsa and the fair. We had been given 2 tickets, and this was the last day of the fair. On the turnpike, we slowed down to 65 to go through the Pikepass toll gate. Just having gone through, a deluge of a rainstorm came up. We hit unseen water, hydroplaned and basically destroyed our beautiful Camry. We were unhurt, except for some bruises, thanks to God's hand, seat belts and airbags. The trooper brought us home right to our door!!

We can only rejoice at how the Lord looks out for us. We never got to see the fair, but we are safe and sound. Fortunately, we have another really good car. So we are not afoot.

It's Sunday morning, and we are back home. What a fun time we had with Kari and Jim, Olivia and Ava. These are two precious little girls with darling, and well-developed personalities. It is so fun to watch Olivia go off to pre-school with a back pack that is bigger than she is with virtually nothing in it. But she "needs" it, you know. Kari is a wonderful host! (Note to the family: you should go see them, what a wonderful time you will have.)

Dad & Pat were such fun. We stopped over at their house on the way home. Went to Bennett Spring (the trout fishing area), hiked over 2 miles, ate way too much, and just relaxed and had fun.
Now we are back in Muskogee, with a few days before our friends from South Africa come in for a visit. We are beginning to seriously come before the Lord concerning our new direction in life. We haven't given that more than a passing thought while we were on R&R this week. But this we know, we are committed to following him, and he is faithful to lead us.

So this morning, we are off to visit a new church.... We will let you know how that went.

In some ways, the days are going by so slowly. I can't believe it has been almost a week (tomorrow) since I was officially through at the church. I can't believe that we have been our wonderful granddaughters for 3 days! And then, when I look to the future, I feel like I am rushing toward a brick wall -- the wall of no financial support, no job, no nothing. Each morning the devil seems to meet me with the promise that I am going under big time. But I always faithfully answer him that HE is the loser. And I quote David, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in You." Then I quote Isaiah, "I will trust and not be afraid." Then I speak to myself, "Thanks be unto God who ALWAYS causes me to triumph in Christ."

It has been such a joy to be with Kari and Jim and the girls. We have had such a great time! Yesterday we went to Lone Elk Park and actually saw 2 elk up close. Of course, we didn't get out of the car, nor did we get too close to the elk. It is the wild, and their territory, to be sure. The girls really enjoyed it.

Ava is such a pleasant girl. She seems to be pretty easy going, although she has definite ideas about things. She sings complete songs in other languages, ones we don't speak. Then she takes her bows. It is so cute. Olivia has definite ideas, too, but seems to be much more vocal about it. She is so determined to do everything by herself--which is good. But she is learning to vocalize with words instead of screams. She is such a lovely girl, full of songs, and funny sayings.

Oh! The joys of grandparenthood. I only wish all of my grandchildren lived closer to me. Like down the street or around the corner!!

Today is a good, as is everyday in my life. We are with Kari and her family. Today we visited a church (they are looking for a place of worship). Anyway, the place we chose today is an AG church nearby. We got there a little late because of conflicting info on the internet site, but the pastor's message was soooo for Judy and me. He was reading our mail. It was so encouraging and even directional for us. We made the right decision to come to St. Louis for some much needed R&R! And this visit this morning at Praise Fellowship was just more confirmation. Of course, being with Jim, Kari, Olivia and Ava is just so much fun.

We are going to the Zoo this week, and other neat places like that. It is so much fun to 'play' with the girls.

Congrats to Jeff and Stephanie on their new Suburban (new to them anyway). It will be so nice to have a car that is big enough for everyone!!

Today was very busy and interesting. Judy and I packed up my office (28+ boxes of books, etc.). We had help from Tom and his pickup and Debbie. We had fun packing, eating lunch together, and then moving everything to our garage.

Tonight my desk is set up in the middle front bedroom. It has plenty of room for an office along with a queen size bed, sewing machine cabinet, chest-of-drawers, and some shelves. In fact I could put a few more pieces of furniture in here, if need be.

Tomorrow we leave for a trip to Missouri for how long we don't know just now. God is giving us some R&R time before our next great assignment. We are in love with Jesus, he is so good to us.

Next time you hear from me may be in St. Louis. Blessings.

Wow! Do you know how hard it is to slow down and write a blog? I admire people who take the time. Seems I want to, but the day is spent before I think about it again. So, tomorrow....

Blogs are neither here nor there in the scheme of things, but my relationship with Jesus is! I find myself praying just now, as I look at the date of my last blog, that my relationship with Jesus isn't so far behind. I stand embarrassed before him to think that it might be. There is a vast difference in living for Jesus and living with Jesus. I truly think I am handling the "with Jesus" living pretty well, but it never hurts to re-evaluate and brush up the relationship. Assuming that I am a normal person, I want to encourage you to do the same.

Let this song be your encouragement to do so: Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before, every day with Jesus, I love him more and more. Jesus saves and keeps me, and he's the one I'm living for (and with). Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.

Well, now! All brushed up? Let's continue on with Jesus and for Jesus. Have a victorious day (or days, depending on when I blog again).

Here is some great news. Judy will be receiving her Licensed Minister credentials on Saturday, June 23 at 9am at Camp Meeting. This is an invitation to anyone who would like to attend.

Judy has served so well beside me over the years as I have pastored and ministered. And she has become such a powerful minister in her own right. This is a wonderful privilege for her, and I am very happy that this has come about. It came very suddenly (yesterday), and there has been a rush of activity since then to get things ready for this great event.

If you are in the area and would like to be there, just follow these directions. From Tulsa, take 75 south to I-40 east, then the first exit is Tiger Mountain. Turn right and go up the hill. The camp grounds are immediately on your right.

From Muskogee, take 69 south to I-40 west. Take the Tiger Mountain exit just before Henrietta. Go under the bridge (left), up the hill, the camp grounds are on your right.

You go, Judy!! Congratulations and blessings to you!!

Judy and I have had a very busy two months in April and May. We have made a trip outside the US, one in the US; we have had children, grandchildren, parents, and a sister-in-law visiting with us (multiple times!). And above all this, we are involved in all that is entailed in pastoring a church. Whirlwind hardly describes our life. We are not the only ones that live such a life nowadays. How can you do it without being run over, overrun and run down?

Let me make some suggestions that might help you. The most important thing you need in your life's "makeup" is a personal walk with the Lord. This is where you rightly can vent, express needs and worship and be thankful for the Lord's presence and strength. It is important to tell Him your frustrations and express your joys, to call out to Him for help and strength. (Remember, others are probably just as stressed as you are and have no time or energy to help you -- certainly none to listen to your frustrations.) Then the Lord, Who knows your needs so well, can send the right people to help you, AND the right people who need the blessing of hearing your joys. Trusting Him in this lightens your load.

Secondly, embrace each situation as an opportunity to further immerse yourself in God. Each situation can bless you, stretch you, grow you, and open doors which might otherwise never open. It seems that the doors of blessing have secret latches that are buried in the depths of service to others. So make each busy, frazzling, over-the-top situation a treasure hunt for the latch that opens a door of blessing. When people say, "How can you handle all this?" Just say, "I am on a treasure hunt!"

Lastly, keep a good check on your attitude. Remember, your attitude determines your altitude.

Be blessed today (that's a command from me to you).

I love the Lord and his ways, because they are sooo not like mine! Yesterday at church was another opportunity to watch his ways in action. His ability to galvanize a particular concept and cement it into the hearer's heart is very uncanny. It seems that the thing he desires of us is expectancy. We, too often, are involved in the routine - which requires no expectancy at all. In fact, when something different happens, we tend to get a little uncomfortable because our routine is messed up. I, for one, enjoy routine way too much. So it is good for me to have change. I am constantly reminding myself to be expectant of God every minute of every day, not just during the worship service.

Why don't you join me? Let's be expectant of God in every area of our lives. Let's see what God might do, what he will do. Isaiah 43:19 - Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

What a glorious weekend I have had. On Thursday, my mother flew in to be with us for a few weeks. After I picked her up at the airport and headed back to Muskogee, my car engine blew. So after towing it and Judy picking us up, we started again for Muskogee. On the turnpike, a huge dog appeared out of nowhere and I hit it full force. So my other car now has a broken front bumper. In bed for the night (finally!!), I was laughing, genuinely laughing. I told Judy, "Hallelujah! I have the devil on the run and he doesn't like it." Turns out our drive train warranty is still good, so it is all paid for (except for the bumper replacement -- $250 deductible). But I don't care, because I know my heavenly Father is watching over me, and Satan is a defeated foe. Oh, how nice it would be, if we all would really believe that "all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose." Come on! Check up on your love for the Lord, double check that you are walking in the purpose he has for you. And live life! The devil can't stop you! And Jesus can help you! So get going, live life.

My daughter has been through enough tragedy, heartache, and struggles as anyone I know in such a short time. Yet she smiles, she loves, she encourages others, and she lives fully. If she can, I can. If she can, you can! "With God, all things are possible!!"

Oh, yeah! The great weekend. We had a fabulous men's breakfast on Saturday morning, with a truly awesome speaker. We have enjoyed a special loaner car from Toyota: an '07 Camry with less than 200 miles on it. We had a great Mother's Day, with fabulous music, and Judy's great sermon. And I am so happy to have my mother with me. Wow!! God is good!

It is a special thing to be able to look beyond yourself and see a bigger picture. That is what I am doing today in two areas of my life. My yard needs to be mowed, but the rain just keeps coming. Of course, I first note that it will be very hard to mow, when I am able to get to it. Then I think how wonderful the water is. The water tables are being returned to their normal state and drought conditions are gone...and I am saving on my water bill. The second thing I am forcing myself to look at in the bigger picture is my daughter's family's big move to St. Louis. They will be further away from us, and we have so enjoyed having them in our house and close by for the last year and a half. However, the bigger picture is that they get to be a family again with their own house, and Jim has a very good job...long time in coming and very much deserved. Definitely, the bigger picture is better. Let's all try to look at the bigger picture more, I believe the handiwork of God is so much easier to see then.

Judy and I have just returned from a week of sailing in the Bahamas. What a lovely rest time, and the joy of beach combing and wind sailing, etc. It certainly was a God-ordained time. Notice this picture of a beautiful Bahamian sunset. Each evening the islanders blow the conch (konk) shell to announce sunset. So we would run up on deck with our cameras and take such astounding pictures.

We were constantly amazed at the variety of God in a sunset. No two were the same. So each evening was like watching God paint a new picture. Surely He is a creative and unlimited God! When I watched His sunsets, I was always reminded, "Is there anything too hard for God." If He cares so much as to create a new and different sunset each and every evening, does He not care to create each and every day designed just for me? "His mercies are new every morning." And not just new, but different and hand-made and designed with me in mind!

Your days are equally created just for you! Let me encourage you to begin to expect God's design of you life in an intimate way; and to begin to see the happenings of your day as ordered by Him. "The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord, and He (the Lord) delights in his (your) way."

I have been re-reading Exodus with a view to teaching on Wed. nights through the book. I am constantly moved by the difference between law and grace - I should say vast difference. Seems to me that the law dealt with the sinner, whereas grace deals with the sin. In the Old Testament, the sinner was blotted out of the book, in the New Testament our sins are blotted out. It is just too really awesome that I have been born into the New Testament era. I can't comprehend those who want to try to live by the law, keep the commandments, honor the diet, etc. of the Old Testament. Why do some want to glorify the things of the old worship, instead of rejoicing in the spirit of the new worship. We still want icons and pictures and things to hold and creeds to say. But we get to come to God by a new and living way. It just causes the old to pale, unless trappings and things are more important.

I was dwelling on the two parts of our redemption the other day: relationship and fellowship. Not much can be done about the relationship part. "For by one Spirit are you all baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12). Once we express our will to be redeemed, the redemption process is out of our hands. It is the Lord's doings. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5).

The part of our redemption that I was thinking about was fellowship. Fellowship is a graduated experience. For instance, I could have a brother in California whom I never see. He is forever my brother (not my doings or his, but our father's) in relationship. But we have no fellowship. Let's say he returns to Oklahoma, to a town near me. We can renew our fellowship. It is by our mutual choice. The closeness of our fellowship is determined by us.

Romans 12:1,2 seems to me to be all about fellowship. "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." The more we bring our minds in line with the Word of God, the greater is our fellowship with him. As we think like He thinks, act like He acts, and speak like He speaks, we grow closer. "Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you" (James 4:8). It may not be easy, but it certainly is worthwhile.

"Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His (relationship),' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity (fellowship)'" (2 Tim. 2:19).

I was thinking this morning of the wonderful experience I had Sunday morning. With Judy's nudging, I realized that we have 6 young adults at Grandview Tab that weren't getting any special attention. So I called them all and told them that I was creating a special Sunday School class just for them (donuts, milk, orange juice, etc.). They all seemed excited about the possibility. Sunday morning came and I had 8 young adults in the class. Wow! Some of the original 6 brought friends. We had a really good class. The premise of the class is to let the students talk about what is of importance in their life at the moment. They did! And the cardinal rule of the class is, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Anonymity is a powerful tool! Between SS and the morning worship hour, we discovered 2 more young adults that will be with us next Sunday!!

This brings me to one of my life scriptures (not the major one, but one of the secondary ones). "Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." Now the conundrum is this. We are to labor in the building of the house, but it is the Lord who builds it. Here is a challenge for any person. Build only what you see the Lord building. (Jesus said it like this: I only do what I see my Father doing.) As a pastor, I can tell you that this is a tough thing. Seeing what the Lord is building is, as Shakespeare says, "where the rub comes in." I am not very successful at it, but even that is a help. I can tell others that it is okay to mess up. And it is. Proverbs says the righteous man falls 7 times, but he always gets up. It isn't in the falling, it is in the getting up. Or as someone in the modern age has said, "it isn't how you start, but how you finish."

Paul said, "I have finished my course...", so I encourage you to work on the finish and forget how you started. If you have fallen, get up. If you haven't fallen, keep your eyes on Jesus and build what he is building.

Blessings.

I have been thinking about direction for the last few days. Seems that that is a constant theme in my life because I so want to be going the right way with the Lord. I found this sentence in Bodie & Brock Thoene's Christian novel, Fifth Seal. "The strength of a man consists of finding the direction God is going and setting his course on the same path." The part that grabbed my attention is "the strength of man". I believe it sums up direction in life as to purpose, character and outcome. So I have been munching on direction lately. Also, I have been going back to my life verse, Exodus 33:13, where Moses says, "Show me now thy way that I may know thee." And then he says, "For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate (read different), Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth (v.16)." I feel, for me, and for Christians in general, that that is at the core of finding direction. To be separate from the people of the earth, and to be like God in our life. It is one thing to say I am like God, but quite another to be like God. John 1:12 says, "To as man as receive him, to them he gives power (authority) to become sons of God." Doesn't mean we automatically are like him in our actions, words, and lifestyle. But we do have the power to be. So again, I pray along with Moses, "show me now thy way, that I may know thee." I am sure that when I see His way of doing, being and living, that I can get in step with him. Again, "the strength of a man consists of finding the direction God is going and setting his course on the same path." And say! If you see God's way in some area or matter, please share with me/us so we can get in line with God, too.