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.