I am so appreciative of my upbringing; Christian parents, Christian relatives, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Church, Christian Schools (5-12th grade), Christian College, Pastors, Teachers, Elders, Friends. These have all shaped and influenced who I have become.
In Philippians 3:4-6, Paul lists his credentials or reasons for boasting. Then he says, "I consider them garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him..."
No offence meant to those who have poured your lives into mine, but garbage, compared to the righteousness that comes through Christ! Is it possible that as we find our identity in Christ, that we begin to separate ourselves from our past (even if it was a good past), and look only to the present and future hope of the Kingdom of God?
Follow the link below to experience what I have experienced similar to my friend Dave. I believe each of us, who claim a relationship with God, needs to practice a similar discipline. If you disagree, then leave a comment on how you communion with God.
Pastor Dave's Doodles: Being With God in Silence: Yesterday I spent my spiritual retreat day in silence at St. Benedict Center in Schuyler. Silence is an amazing thing - mostly scary and unc...
We had some visitors at our house for a little over a week. It was good to have my parents here! There was lots of playing, crafts, and catching up. The time goes fast and it is over before everyone is ready. Grandma and Grandpa walked the girls to school and then hopped in the truck to rumble down the road. Blessings as you travel and may you read this from home soon.
This post is a link to a great Pastor friend of mines blog. He says what he needs to say in a clear, simple form. So, if you want to try another Spiritual discipline that can help you know God and be known by God, follow the link: Pastor Dave's Doodles: EXAMEN Your Day: "One of the things I believe I have been hearing from God on this Sabbatical is my need to really get centered on Him and to see Him in ALL ..."
I guess the math was too much for me. You'll notice my last post involved a lot of numbers and it was @17 days ago. We are still here, and it's still good!
The girls head to school on Monday, August 15th. It's hard to believe that it is that soon.
We have been in a heat wave and high humidity for the last several weeks here. The temp and humidity have both been fighting for 100. The pool in town is getting good use. It closes this Saturday for the season.
Suzanne and I had our first date in a while last Saturday. Dinner and a movie:) We volunteered to do concessions at the Movie Theatre in Geneva. It was a great time! Suzanne collected money and did math in her head. I managed a big popcorn machine and scooped bags of popcorn. Then for our service we received a free bag of popcorn, a drink, and a free movie. We "chose" Mr Poppers Penguins. A delightful evening. (Gloria was with us, and the other three were with Matt and Elizabeth T-M.)
How are you? What have you been up to? Leave a comment, or I'll assume you haven't done nothin' :)
We are home again, in beautiful NE! 19 days, over 2500 miles, 6 different beds, 5 unpackings and repackings, 9 states, 6 pairs of clothes, 2 pairs of shoes, 6 travelers, 3 suitcases, 1 van, 1 horse, 1 pony, 1 mule, 2 tries to get out of Pittsburgh, 3 tries to get from Missouri to Nebraska, and uncountable good connections where ever we were!
Tired! Invigorated! It's good to be home, we are going to miss all of you that we saw and left.
Convention was a great time for our family. We got to stay in the Omni William Penn Hotel, which has hosted a number of celebrities and presidents over the years. It was good to be together as a family; eating, walking, playing, resting, laughing, tickling, and caring for one another. Convention was also an enjoyable time of making new friends, refreshing prior friendships, and dreaming about the church (Salem, Central Plains Conference, MCUSA, and Christ's wider body).
We are back at my parents house now and enjoying extended family time. It feels like it has been awhile since we have had this concentrated relaxed time.
Looking forward to seeing our Nebraska family again very soon!
We had a great weekend of camping with Suzanne's family, except for a few mishaps which will not be mentioned here.
Our first morning, my friend and marathon enthusiast, Todd Lehman wanted to go on a short run. We did. 9+ miles of running and a mile or two of walking. Yeah, you know how it goes, you're not planning to go running and then you do. and well, it's only 3 miles to the covered bridge via rough trails. Then, it would be boring to return the same way, so you take another trail, and it's 2.3 miles to the fire tower. Then, our memory fails on where the "shorter" route back to camp starts, vs the 5.3 miles return trip. after a couple loops and returning to the fire tower we do finally find the trail and get back to camp. Surprisingly, I am only a "little" stiff.
The next day, we take all kids and adults (except for two) under 41 on the same trail hike to the covered bridge. 6 miles round trip. The kids did awesome.
A little swimming, mountain biking, and floating down the river on tubes rounds out the weekend.
We are tired, back at my parents, and repacking for Pittsburgh beginning... tomorrow.
That has been another revelation in our short stay so far. We had to get used to the long distances to larger towns and services in Shickley, NE. But notice I said long distances, not longer drives. It just takes longer here in Ohio, due to traffic, curves, hills, stop signs, etc.
Shopping - I like going into a store in Nebraska, finding what I want and going to the register to check out. In Ohio, we wait in line to find what we want, and wait in line to get to the register.
Parade - We went to Orrville to a parade last night. It took 30 minutes from the start of the parade till it finally got to us. Then, the parade was nearly 90 minutes long. Lots of candy. It was fun.
Camping - We are going camping about 36 miles away. It will take over an hour to get there. Does that make sense?! I like Nebraska. 36 miles = 36 minutes.
Ohio is not so bad, I really not complaining. But we'll take Nebraska's time. It doesn't take as long. :)
