Phil's Place

Deer Hunting With Christian and James

2011-11-18T10:48:00.000-05:00

He's still smiling, even after a hard drag out of the swamp. One shot through the heart - at the only deer we saw while in the woods for three days. Seven points. He may be 40 but he is still my boy, and I am proud of him.

We had a great time together. It has been a while since father and son spent this long together. We camped in the woods. The heater would not work and it was cold at night, but we stayed warm in our sleeping bags. The weather was great. Cool, with just a little snow one day, but no rain.

James and I saw a buck about 200 yards east of where Chris shot his deer on Saturday before the gun season opened. Maybe the same deer? It was out of range for a bow shot. When Chris shot it, it was only about 25 yards away and walking right toward him. Easy shot for the 30-30 that used to be his grandpa Spear's.

I might have to try again with the crossbow if I don't get one with the 30-06, or maybe the muzzle loader. I shot one near this spot last year with the crossbow, but lost it. I need to get a close shot like Chris.

Cote d' Ivoire

2011-10-21T20:50:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures from our recent trip to West Africa.

These ladies carry everything on their heads and do it for miles. Those are injames - a root that is prepared something like a potato.

The bread store is a little different than Meijer's.

Round houses for ladies, square houses for men. Mud walls, dirt floors grass roofs.

This young girl was carrying a tub of water that probably weighed twice as much as she did.

Termite mounds are huge. This one is probably about 25 feet high.

In the villages they still prepare grain by poounding it in these large mortar and pestals. The poverty is overwhelming. In the capital city, we visited this basilica which is the second largest in the world. Robert said that it was more elaborate than theTaj Majal he visited in India. The constrast is astounding..

Service in the new church included singing, clapping and dancing.

It was a real challenge for me to dance with them, but it didn't stop them from trying to help me (and laughing with me).

Kids melt your heart in any setting.

It is so good that I learned to color between the lines in kindergarten.

This is the team with the finished wall that we painted. It was to demonstrate that they had a written language and encourage them to learn to read.

Woodturning

2011-08-22T12:28:00.000-04:00

My latest hobby is woodturning. I have wanted to do this since high school. I now have a nice lathe and am learning. I love the combination of artistry and craftsmanship. I am finding it very addicting. It is so easy to spend hours on it without even realizing the time. Here are a few pictures of a few of my learning projects.

This bowl is made from a piece of firewood that John Glupker gave me. The worm holes made for an interesting effect.

This is turned from Red Oak and finished with olive oil. It gives it a look of being olivewood. It was one of my first attempts.

The salt and pepper shakers were turned from Rosewood. It is a really nice looking wood and easy to turn.

This was one of my first projects. I learned later that dried laminated wood is considered difficult to turn. This is mostly black walnut with one layer of red oak, which I glued together from scraps.

One of my latest projects was this goblet of rosewood. I was able to make some of my own tools by using carbide inserts, 1/2 inch hex steel rod and handles I turned myself. They are proving to be much superior to any tools that I was able to buy that were within my budget. Good tools certainly are key to making work easy and getting good results. The most difficult thing to me so far has been finding suitable wood. A couple of my projects were near completion when they split. Good wood can be bought - but at a price. Many people say firewood can be a good source, if you can find some in good condition.

Hiking and Rafting in Pennsylvania

2011-08-15T13:08:00.008-04:00

We just spent a great week camping and hiking near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. I didn't get any pictures of the rafting. I was too busy climbing back into the boat after being thrown out in class IV rapids. James IV got his first taste of all day hiking (without backpacks). Maybe next year he will be ready for a week of backpacking. This is a great area for hiking, biking, and rafting. There were six adults and two young adults who spent about six hours a day hiking. I got to cook.

The path up from the bathroom to the campground.

A pleasant spot on the trail to cool off.

Lots of enormous trees and no bugs.

Some like the top of the bridges and some like the bottom, right James?

Wading is always fun.

The views were spectacular.

Chris still had to study.

A nice campsite - not too rustic.

Rocks to climb on were everywhere for Trevor and James to climb.

We started high, went down to the river (barely seen down there) and back up.

Natural slides were a place that James would have returned to every day.

You just jump in at the top and let the current flush you down,.

"Hey Pappy, you can breath under here."

"I never swam in waterfalls before."

"Watch me jump off of this rock."

It's even faster after rain.

There are a few bumps on the bottom when going down waterfalls.

This bridge is 100 feet above the river below.

"Yep, he's my favorite son!"

While everyone else is eating lunch is a good time to see how far out in the river you can go without falling in.

This is the Camelback that the racoons stole.

Must have been worth two pictures.

I wonder how deep the water is if you slip off the rock.

Anything that looked like a cave was worth exploring.

"Really Pappy, I can go behind the waterfall?"

Hiking buds at Cucumber Falls. Waterfalls seem to be everywhere.

A Review of "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day"

2011-06-28T18:12:00.003-04:00

"In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day," by Mark Batterson explores the way God uses adverse circumstances to mold us into the person He wants us to be. He points out how we must learn from our fears and advace in the face of impossible odds to rise above our current status.

An important second theme of the book is the importance of risk taking, even when the probability of success is deemed low by friends and associates.

There are succinct review points at the end of each chapter that could be used as a starting point for group discussion. I found the most memorable quote to be - "God wants you to get to where God want you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go," Many illustration, based on real life experiences, are used to confirm Batterson's points.

I found that parts were somewhat repetitive and it seemed at times that the last half of the book was attempt to draw out the author's points enough to make sermon length material into book length. Still I would say that this is a worthwhile book to read, and one that will strengthen your faith.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

An Ivory Coast Mission

2010-10-30T20:36:00.003-04:00

On January 22, if the Lord is willing, six of us will head for Ivory Coast. Our goal is to put a roof on this church. Besides myself, those planning to go include: Casey Veihl, Robert Owens, Matt Beery, Sarah Glupker, and Dan Stokes. We plan to return February 5.

Glenn Boese and his family have been supported by our church for over three decades. His parents and sister, Bev Coates, are members of our church. I had the privilege of growing up with Glen.

One of the churches they have been instrumental in establishing was able to put up these walls, but never able to put on a roof. The folks there, as seen in the picture, await our coming to help them with this task. Another church in Cedar Rapids Iowa is partnering to supply materials.

Each year Immanuel Bible Church has taken on a missions project for Christmas. Sort of our gift to God in recongnition of His uspeakably wonderful Gift of His Son. This year our project to is raise the money to finance this trip. You can help by sending a check to Immanuel Bible Church, 5433 N. Center Rd., Saginaw, Mi. 48604 with the notation that it is for the Christmas Africa Project. You may designate it for the specific support of one of those on the team if you like. If you attend IBC you can just drop it in the offering box at the back of the church (we don't take collections at our church). Just be sure to lable it.

We look forward to not only doing manual labor, but also the chance to meet our brothers and sisters in a different part of the world, with a different culture and a different language but a common love of the Savior. It will be good to begin building the bond which will unite us for eternity. It will also give us a chance to observe and report back to the church the things the Lord has done with their contributions over the years.

Please pray with us that in all we do God will be honored, we will stay safe, and that the generousity of His people will provide the funds necessary.

2010-10-22T19:38:00.003-04:00

I will vote on November 2, forty years after the first election in which I participated. Yes, there was a time when you had to be 21 years of age to vote. I do not believe we have ever had a more important election. The fate of the country may hang in the balance.

This Congress has decided to impose their will on the country, even when it was clear that they did so in blatant contradiction of what the citizens desired. This country was founded and has been preserved as one with a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Remember, we broke away from Great Britain in a violent revolutionary war over the issue of representation. It is time that we send a strong message that we will stand for nothing less than an authentic representative government.

We need not take up arms, but we do need to vote in large and convincing numbers to remove those who would impose their will on those they were elected to serve. It is time to remind them that they work for us, and not we for them. A weak turnout, as is traditional in non-presidential elections, will not save this country or convince those in power that we are serious.

We have seen those in power chip away at our rights and freedoms in small steps. If we can remove enough of them from their powerful and priveledged positions the rest will pay attention. Nothing gets a politician's attention like the prospect of being voted out of office.

Let your government officials and candidates for office know that you support our military, think spending our grandchildren into poverty, driving God from the public forum, punishing the businesses that provide jobs and turning our backs on crime (including that of those illegally entering this country to take advantage of our generousity), winking at corruption by officials, and demeaning our history and heritage are not only unamerican but immoral. Tell them you will do whatever is necessary to put a stop to it. Support those who pledge to change these things and then hold them accountable.

Find a patriotic friend and encourage them to vote. Pray to the God of Heaven and Earth to preserve us as one nation under God.

2010-02-27T22:31:00.005-05:00

We had Hannah, James and Evan Friday and Saturday while Pam was in the demolition derby with their van.

We colored together, watched a movie and played WII games.

This morning we went to the Delta gym and pool. The kids played with the basketball and ran until they were all hot and sweaty. Some people loaned the older kids a paddle and racket so they could try our paddleball. We then swam for about an hour and a half. The water was warm and we had a great time.

On the way out, Evan was so tired he could hardly walk straight. In the car Hannah had to keep feeding him M&Ms to keep him awake until lunch. (Grandpa made it home before falling asleep in the chair.) It was sure fun but now that they are gone we are crashing. Sure makes me appreciate the energy of full-time moms.

Fixed it

2009-08-19T09:43:00.007-04:00

Here are a few ideas for those of you who like to "fix it yourself." Whether it is a guitar, a post, door locks, or just a plumber's crack, there is always a simple solution.

Hiking in VA

2009-08-06T10:35:00.004-04:00

Well, I forgot my camera and got no pictures of my own. I am hoping others will share theirs with me.

We left at 6:00 AM for Virginia last Saturday and arrived at Peaks of Otter Campground near Bedford VA in plenty of time to set up camp and eat a good supper.

Sunday we were up early and off to Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, a church with an attendance of around 12,000 for their 8:30 service. We met Lyle McAuley, Julie, and her son Ian there and then went to her house for a fabulous brunch. She treated us like we were long lost friends and sent us away full of all kinds of goodies. Sunday afternoon we hiked up 1500 foot Sharp Top mountain. It was only a 3 mile hike, but straight up and straight down. The peak seemed like the top of the world after flat Saginaw.

Monday we hiked about 10 miles total, starting out by climbing Flat Top (1600 ft.) and ending on the Falling Water Cascade Trail. Joey and his friend Tom experienced the friendly deer up close and personal when one actually licked the sweat off of their arm. They have pix to prove it.

Tuesday we began our hiking on the Appalachian Trail. We only did about 35 miles of the 2100 mile trail but it was challenging and beautiful. We shared a shelter one night with a fellow who called himself G.I. Joe. He had been on the trail since May and hiked over 750 miles. He announced that he did not use deoderant because it attracted bugs. We never would have guessed (Phew!). We had our devotions just feet from where he layed in his sleeping bag. After that everyone we met asked if we were "that church group." Hopefully our testimony was positive.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday brought mountains of 4200 ft, 2200 feet, three of over 1000 ft and many beautiful overlooks. We had rain Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Wednesday it rained so hard we found ourselves hiking uphill through inches of water for hours. It seemed like we were going up a waterfall for hours. Needless to say we were soaked, cold, and tired when we met the van with John at the end of the day. I agreed that we needed to drive someplace where we could put dry clothes on and get warm. We stopped at a Resort Lodge to check out the restrooms. The next thing I knew Chris Klien came out to announce that she had rented two rooms for the night. So much for roughing it. But I did still have to sleep on the floor and there was no TV or phone. There was a wonderful hot shower though - the first of the week. We had been washing in cold water, sometimes in creeks. Afterward we all went to Pizza Hut and stuffed ourselves. The next day was back to the trail and tents.

Friday was mostly downhill in the afternoon. We climbed to 4200 ft then down to around 600 ft. where we ended at the longest foot bridge on the AT. As the end approached, Sarah took the lead and it was clear that she intended to finish first. I tried to keep up and did pretty well until the last 1/2 mile. She then began to run. I ran too at first, then Joey flew by me and I knew it was over. It was amazing, after all the weariness to see how much energy was in reserve at the end.

Saturday, the trip home was uneventfull. The beautiful mountain drive through western Virginia and West Virginia was missed by most because they were asleep. I think all enjoyed it. I have already had some ask what we are going to do next year.

One Nation Under God

2009-07-03T18:29:00.002-04:00

On this Independence Day weekend I pause to think of the current and future state of our nation.

Our founding fathers recognized that we were "endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights." These did not include the right to marry someone of your own gender. They did not include the right to murder unborn children. They did not include the right to take legal action against anyone who would credit God or Jesus in a public forum. They were simply the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The taxation, regulation and government control of today was most certainly not the liberty and freedom that was sought by men who sacrificed their fortune, their sacred honor, and their very lives for independence. The government they sought to establish was not one of socialism. They never envisioned a government that would own banks and major corporations. They never dreamed that this government would dictate wages and salaries or fine them for not having the right kind of insurance.

The government that our forefathers established was a representative democracy. I'm quite sure that they never thought that offices could be determined by elections where more votes were cast than there were voters, or that elections would be decided by courts.

The world I lived in as a child feared "godless communism." Today, it seems, this is the government that is being embraced by the citizens of our country.

We now have government that votes on bills thousands of pages in length without even reading them or knowing what they are voting for. It matters not what is good for the country. Only that your party wins.

If you tell the truth, you are ridiculed. If you lie, you are reelected. Honesty has no value. Faithfulness to the vows of your marriage doesn't matter. The economy of our children and grandchildren can be sacrificed for the sake of pet projects that may buy additional votes.

Ultimately, we will never have a perfect government until Jesus Christ reigns. In the mean time, should we stand by and watch our country being destroyed? Sure, we can vote (if our votes are counted), but isn't there more that we can do? Are you earnestly praying? Are you talking to your friends and neighbors - and not backing down when they disagree? Do you write your elected officials? Have you read the founding documents of our country? Do you teach your children your values? Perhaps the time is quickly approaching when we will be called on to do more. Our forefathers bled and died for our freedom, can we be inconvenienced?

The future of this great nation, the nation that has sent more missionaries into the world than any other, the nation that once called itself Christian and blessed by God may be one in which we will be called upon to decide what values are worth more than our personal comfort. I believe in the near future Christians who live according to the truth of God's Word may go to jail like the apostles unless our direction is changed soon. We must seek out candidates for office who are dedicated, committed Christians and throw out the current office holders. And, again, we MUST pray.

John Piper on Abortion

2009-05-18T20:44:00.001-04:00

I hope I am doing this right. I want you to see this video by John Piper on the president's position on abortion. It is powerful. Please check out this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O68MByaMVdM

Mountain hiking

2009-05-13T09:24:00.004-04:00

Christian and I did some mountain hiking west of Denver on our recent trip.

As you can see, the terrain is a little different from the Saginaw Valley. In one day we took a hike of about 4.2 miles up to 7400 feet, then after lunch in a small BBQ joint in Evergreen, we climbed to the top of Evergreen Mountain, another 6.2 miles. These are not level miles, but half are down hill. We noticed the thin air on the way up.

If you blow up the first picture you will see rock climbers about 25 feet from the top.

The lighting wasn't real good for this shot of a waterfall, but I thought it showed one of the many mountain streams we saw.

This third one is Echo Lake. Notice the snow on the ground. the weather in Denver was near 80 degrees, but up at altitude is was in the low 40's.
We thought the snow capped mountains were beautiful, as this shot from the car shows.

We were hoping that this hike would help us prepare for our backpacking trip on the Appalacian Trail this summer. I am sure Virginia will be warmer, but the altitude will only reach to about 4,400 feet, and I am quite sure we'll see no snow then.

It was a little hazy in the morning, but we could still see the roads etc. down below.

We did see some critters. Most were too quick for me to get pictures, but a few were just enjoying the sun.

The elk and deer we saw were a little shaggy looking as they were just starting to shed their winter coats. We had one deer pass right in front of us about 2o feet ahead and it was amazing how he disappeared into the brush without making a sound. Though this is a cow, we saw some nice bulls with half grown antlers in the velvet.

I started with a long sleeved shirt and jeans, but by lunch time I changed to shorts and a tee shirt. Even though the wind was cool, the sun was warm and the constant climbing sure warms you up. We both got a little sun burned and sore, but had a great time.

We're off to see the lizard

2009-04-08T09:56:00.003-04:00

We took the kids to Midland Center for the Arts to see the squamate exhibit (snakes and lizards). There were wonderful displays in natural environments of lizards as small as 3 inches to snakes as long as 14 feet.

Some were very colorful, others were so camoflaged that we could hardly find them right in front of our eyes.

James was a big help in identifying each type of lizard or snake and what was unique about them. This beauty is a green mamba - the second most poisonous snake on earth according to our family expert.

Some were in arid environments and others like this fellow were actually in the water. Some of the displays were at floor level which made it interesting for Evan - especially when they were moving around.

We tried to figure out what was in this little guy's brain when his eyes revolved around independent of each other. Did he have and image like a split screen TV image?

The museum is on three floors and has everything from a full sized skeleton of a giant mammoth with bones dug up in Michigan to interactive games that put live pictures of the players right into the game. Evan enjoyed doing some of the hands on stuff that made noise, while the other kids seemed more interested in games and puzzles they could compete in. Hannah left her picture in one game as one of the top ten scores of the day. I would recommend this place to anyone with kids from 5 up (but little ones also enjoy it if you can keep up with them). They even gave us each a coupon for free "iggy sundaes" at the Eastman Rd. McDonalds. We came home tired with lots of interesting stuff still running through our minds.

A few more pictures

2009-04-05T20:30:00.002-04:00

Cathy thought I should add a few more pictures. I'm not sure if these are the ones she had in mind. I thought you might like to see a couple of those Easter eggs, like the one with the bunny being bombed.
Or maybe you like the one with the mountain biker better. I kind of liked the purple one with the jewel-like spots painted on it.

A suit doesn't have to get in the way of play time. Evan loves to open and shut doors, so he had a great time with the shutters on the play house in the nursery.

Paul and Pat Dye were here for a visit. Paul has a soft heart, but I was still a little surprised to see a tear in his eye when he held Evan.

We needed to include one shot of Evan and Pastor Mark since they were dressed alike. Both had blue blazers with tan pants and of course neckties.

2009-04-05T20:11:00.002-04:00

Well, it has been another enjoyable weekend. Who knew grandkids would be the most enjoyable time of life? We are as proud of them as we are of our own two children. Thanks Pam and James for letting us spend time with them.
Easter eggs are serious business for some. You know, it has to be done right.

Others just let their good time show on their facess. We all had a great time. Mom, Dad, Mammy, Pappy - even Uncle Chris joined in. We made some very unique looking chicken fruit.

Evan has been having fun with his new Zebra. I bounces and plays music. He is the first person I have seen that can ride, sing and dance all at the same time. He didn't get that rhythm from his grandpa.

Sunday, grandpa got to give Evan a bath, dress him up in his new suit and tie and take him to church. Everyone thought he was so handsome. He kept the tie on the whole time. What a cute little man he is.

I hope this works this time. I did the whole blog once then it disappeared with a message that said that this site had timed out. Never had that happen before. I wonder if it had anything to do with little fingers that jumped from behind the screen to "help" me.

Fun with the little guy

2009-03-21T09:39:00.004-04:00

"Hey Grampa, do you know if your finger is long enough you can feel your brain in there?" Well maybe it's just water from bath time. That's what happens when you try to splash all the water out of the tub. He's going to be a lot of fun at the pool this summer. I bought him a little flotation suit so he'll be prepared. I'm sure he will jump right it. It will be a challenge to watch him. More gates will be needed.

We got to babysit for Evan for two whole days Thursday and Friday. He and Grandma were best buddies. When she was at work he walked around the house saying "Mama" with the first and second a's sounding like they do in "Gramma." We figured it was a blend of Mama and Grandma.

On Friday, while Cathy was a work, I had him all to myself. One of his favorite games if for me to build a tower of blocks and then he would run over and knock them down. He would then laugh like it was so funny. Even after about fifty times it was still funny to him.

"OK, so I got all these toys out, that's Elmo on TV." The day went so fast. There was breakfast, then bath, then play time and a 2 hour nap. Shortly after wake up it was time for lunch. Then after some play time, it was another nap. Mixed in were several diaper changes. Before I knew it Cathy was home. It would have been nice if the weather had been warm enough to get outside.

This kid just loves to laugh. He never really cried the whole time he was here, although he did get frustrated once in a while and sort of whined, like when the round peg just wouldn't go into the square hole. He even laughs at himself when he is playing alone.

Uncle Chris stopped by to see how I was doing. He was a big hit. Evan gave him a big hug. He has a way of making everyone feel that they are special to him.

Ride Time

2009-03-16T14:30:00.002-04:00

With the warm weather, I was able to finally get the motorcycle out and take a ride yesterday. It was still a little cool but fun. I saw lots of other bikes on the road.

I hadn't started it up since before Christmas. I was pleased the way it started with no jumper cables, battery charging or anything. It runs like a top. I have now put almost 3000 miles on it and it is two years old, but it still feels new to me. My old Suzuki 750GT was over 30 years old. It was a little scary to ride it very far from home. When I put it out by the road with a for sale sign, it sold in less than an hour. I actually got more for it than I had paid for it all those years before. I learned that there was one just like it (but not as good condition as mine) in a motorcycle museum. I hope this one lasts as long.

I'll be glad when I can do most of my errands with the V-Star 650. I get more than four times the mileage per gallon of what I get with the old '97 Safari Van.

Birthday Pie

2009-03-10T18:21:00.002-04:00

My first big surprise on Sunday came when I walked out of our prayer room at church to see Evan running down the hall toward me with his arms wide open. Actually he walks like this most of the time but it sure seemed like he was runnning to give his grandpa a hug. I fought back the tears as James and Hannah came around the corner and gave me a big birthday hug. It was a total surprise to see them there with Pam and James.

We had a big dinner with Pam and the Wickmans, the best mother-in-law ever, Ginny Spear, and Christian. It was my favorite meal - beef pot roast, mashed potatoes, fresh rolls, and vegetables (only they left out my favorite vegetable, lima beans). I opened cards and gifts (even though my birthday wasn't until Monday). Then Pam brought out two beautiful apple pies. They went fast, as you can see in the picture. They were both delicious. James III did a special fancy crust for one of them. I will take pie over cake any day, unless it is my mother's recipe for fresh coconut cake. It was a great day! I don't know where I would be if were not for the beautiful family that God has given me. All the worries of life fade when they give me these assurances of our love for each other. O wow! There go the tears again. I guess I'm pretty emotional for a 60 year old man, but I would rather feel these emotions than be cold and hard.

Thank you family. I love you all so much.

Hawaii

2009-03-05T20:39:00.003-05:00

OK, already. I will try to comply with those of you who have requested pictures of our vacation. The first one is one of many many scenic views along the north coast.

The second picture shows Cathy doing one of our favorite things - walking on the beach. It was very windy the whole time we were there. The mornings were quiet, but by afternoon the winds came out of the northeast from 15 to 40 mph. With temperatures near 80, we loved it.

Number three is an example of the thousands of flowers that are everywhere. I know they would have kept Kara's camera going. Somehow, they never look as beautiful in pictures.

Finally, the view from our hotel room. We stayed at the the Royal Lahaina on the 7th floor. We could see whales playing from our balcony, which was a great place to sit and read in the early morning. Looking west we saw the Pacific ocean. Looking east was the mountain, which had perpetual rain. With the wind, we sometimes experienced warm sun at the same time that we got brief showers. It was just enough to keep us cool and to get us sunburned. This is certainly one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited and a great change from the cold of Michigan. Maybe we'll go back in another 40 years .

The government does not give us anything

2009-02-12T22:32:00.002-05:00

Every time someone gets something from the government he has not earned, someone else must have something taken away from him that he has earned. Generational theft is a good term for the current "stimulus bill."

No Health Care

2009-02-05T19:44:00.002-05:00

Well, just as I was doing some planning for a summer backpack trip, I saw a FedEx truck stop in front of my driveway. He brought a package marked "Urgent" from Delphi Corporation. Immediately, I knew that it was not going to be good. Inside was a document from a law firm informing me that all health and life insurance benefits for retired salaried employees and future retirees would stop as of March 31, 2009.

When I retired March 1, 2002 I was told many things to entice me to be part of their plan to reduce the number of engineers by 200 through voluntary retirements. One of those verbal promises was that I would have health care coverage for the rest of my life. I was notified a couple of years ago that they had changed their mind and would only provide it until I turned 65 and was eligible for medicare. Then I would get $ 20,000 to use for medigap insurance. I also would get a Part B suppliment that would pay for that part of medicare for me. Now I have lost all of that. I still have five years to go to be eligible for medicare. I was reminded by the booklet I got today that there was always fine print in my agreement that said they could modify the agreement unilaterally. I now wonder if I might lose all of my pension before Delphi's bancruptcy is over.

It is a good reminder that my security is in the Lord, not Delphi or General Motors. It reminds me of what the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:9 ...But his happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. By the way, I don't think I remember Paul having health insurance either.

Maybe I will have to go back to work. If so, I thank the Lord for the last seven years of retirement.

Moan and Groan

2009-01-25T20:22:00.003-05:00

Being sick is the pits. I went to the Detroit International Auto Show with James IV (he had the day off school), Ed Sauer, and Mike Speer on Friday. We had a great time and James didn't seem to mind at all that he was with three guys six times his age. I think he sat in the driver's seat of every car he could. I hope to post a few pictures soon.

I woke up at 3:00AM sick. I am not sure if I have ever felt worse, even when I have been hospitalized. I vomitted every 15 minutes until 8:30AM. In between I sat on the toilet. I had the chills so bad I couldn't quit shaking even with piles of blankets. I sure have been thankful for my loving wife who cares for me even when it puts her at risk. I was in bed all day yesterday with little improvement. This morning I woke up feeling better and thought I could go to church. Shortly after eating some breakfast I was sick again. I really missed the chance to teach my class tonight. I have enjoyed the study for it so much I am just anxious to share it with others. God had other plans. I am slowly recovering, but not up to par yet. I have new simpathy for others, like Chris, who have had this bug. It is a nasty one! Pam said James III had it for about four days. I am praying I recover more quickly. You just don't fully appreciate good health until you are sick. I pray that none of those I came in contact with get this thing.

Mounds Ball

2008-12-18T09:25:00.002-05:00

For those of you who asked, here is the Mounds Balls recipe. It is great!

3/4 cup mashed potatoes (no butter or salt)
1 pound powdered sugar
16 ounces Bakers coconut
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup candy makers chocolate or Hershey dark chocolate nuggets (if you use the Hersheys you may need to add a couple of tablespoons of shortening)

Mix all but the chocolate and refrigerate overnight. Then roll into balls. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and dip the balls into the chocolate and let dry on waxed paper. (I found that it is easier to melt it in a bowl in the microwave - just don't overheat). If the balls start to warm up before dipping in the chocolate, they will tend to come apart. I like to double the recipe. If you do, you have to work fast or do half of the chocolate at a time so it won't start to set up on you.

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-16T18:05:00.003-05:00

This is probably my favorite ornament. This little angel has been in our family for years. When I look at it I am reminded of how Pam and Chris would get excited about the light pattern on the ceiling when they were little kids.

Memories are an important part of Christmas to me. Sometimes it makes me sad that people like my parents are no longer here to celebrate with us. (Wouldn't Dad have thought Evan was something special?). But then I am happy about others that have been added to our time of celebration, like James III, James IV, Hannah, and Evan.

Cathy does the decorating at our house, including the tree and the lights in the yard. I enjoy them all. She also does the shopping with the exception that I do buy her gift. I'm sure I would enjoy the holiday a lot less if I had to go out and buy for everyone. I am so happy that my family can be together and that we all understand and rejoice in the true significance of Jesus' birth.

This other scrawny looking tree sits in our dining room and many of the ornaments are from special vacations we have taken together.

We open our gifts on Christmas morning. I try not to see any of my gifts before that, although we often put gifts under the tree ahead of time. I want to be completely surprised. I have never gotten a gift that I didn't appreciate. That's because, to me, the real gift is the love that is behind it. I value the things kids hand make at school just as much as the more expensive things that come from stores. I always feel bad if someone has to return something because I know that the giver has done their best to express their love in the item they gave. If I have to return something, I always try to get the exact same thing (in a new size or whatever).

Understanding God's Revelation of Himself to Man

2008-12-09T19:12:00.002-05:00

General Revelation is a term for the way God reveals Himself to man through His creation.

Psalm 19:1 (NIV)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

> This tells us that we can learn of God in ways that are understandable and on display for all people everywhere by observing the works of His hands - His creation.

Romans 1:18 (NIV)The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

> This tells us that God's attributes are so clearly revealed to all men everywhere that no one has an excuse. In fact this revelation is so clear they have to suppress it in order to not see it.

> Every effect has a cause. Every gift has a giver. Life comes from the life-giver. If we were to find a model of a globe in a field we would immediately know that it had a cause. Does making it bigger and more complex (the universe) eliminate the need for a cause? Must there not be an ultimate cause for everything?

> We see purpose in the designs of nature. Purpose originates in intelligence. Must there not be an intelligent being behind all of nature?

> We see the laws of logic being followed in our universe. This tells us that the God of creation is logical.

Specific Revelation speaks of God's revelation through His written word. Here are a few rules to understanding the meaning of His Word.

1. Look for the author's meaning not the reader's. God gives us words that say what He means, we are not allowed to change that meaning. It can not mean different things to different people.

2. Look for the meaning, not the purpose. It is pure speculation for and supreme arrogance for man to judge God's purpose.

3. Look for the meaning in the text, not beyond it. What the text says is more important than what others say about it.

4. Ask what it affirms or denies, not what it implies. There is only one meaning but there are many possible applications.

5. Christianity is bound to the truth of Biblical history.

6. There is greater evidence for the history of the New Testament than for any other document from its time. If we cannot know that it is true, then we cannot know anything else from that time period.

7. If we are to accept the existence of God, then we must accept Biblical miracles (the special acts of God). If He exists, then His acts are possible.

8. Finite minds cannot know absolutely and objectively. That is only possible for the infinite mind of God. Since God has given us His Word, we have an interpretation of history from an absolute, perspective. Though we can never know history absolutely, we can have an adequate and objective knowledge.

9. We cannot throw out good historical evidence for some event just because it doesn't conform to our experience. We must make room for unusual, particular events (miracles). Just because we have never experienced something does not mean it isn't true. Careful examination of evidence should be used to determine if an event is authentic.

10. Jesus is both God and man. In a way not quite the same The Bible is the Word of God written in the words of men.

11. If God is infallible (without fault or error) and the Bible is His Word, then it follows that the Bible must be infallible.

12. Not everything that works is true (pragmatism), but everything that is true works. A proper view of God will change a life.

13. While the original manuscripts of the Bible are without error, we have no original manuscripts. The copies and translations that we have are not without error (though most are quite reliable).

14. Round numbers, observational language (speaking of the rising of the sun for instance, even when we know the earth actually turns under the sun), figures of speech and paraphrased citations in the Bible are not errors.

15. Systematic Theology is an attempt to correlate general revelation, specific revelation (correlating each Biblical text with the teaching of the whole Bible), and human knowledge.

2008-12-07T14:58:00.002-05:00

Over the Thanksgiving break Pam and James and their kids came for a visit. One of the things we did was to visit the Mid-Michigan Childrens' Museum. If you haven't been there and you have kids in you life you should consider a visit. We spent a couple of hours there and they had a great time. There is stuff to interest age levels from crawlers to adult.

They got to play with other kids with the big colored parachute-like thing, push beads around the board (while grandpa rested), climb on an old firetruck, learn to milk a cow (how's his technique Jen?), and take an exciting ride with an 8 month old kid driving.

Grandkids are such a good excuse to do fun things that otherwise people would think you were too old or senile to enjoy. I really look forward to many more years of doing this stuff.

Annual Christmas Party

2008-12-07T14:32:00.002-05:00

One of the things that have become a Christmas tradition at our house is the annual Christmas Party. This started as a way to maintain contact with some of the couples who had left our church and some who had moved to other places. Some of those, like Pastor Mark and Lynn and Mark and Jamie Kinzer have now returned. We have been doing this for 15 years now with the same couples each year.

The evening begins with a big dinner (well it actually begins about a week earlier when Cathy starts decorating etc.) We have time to retell some old stories and catch up on each others lives. After dinner we have a "white elephant/gag gift exchange. Which seems to be the highlight of the evening. I noted that this may be only party where the wrapping paper is sometimes worth more than the gift. Gifts can be anything from something that you no longer want but is just too good to throw away to just plain goofy stuff. Usually there is something that is actually desired by several and many that no one wants to have to dispose of.
As you can see in the first picture, the gifts are usually wrapped in a way that is supposed to make them interesting. Some even had candy taped to the outside to make them a little more likely to be picked.

Each year we pick someone to be in charge of the gift exchange for the next year. This year the Kinzers were in charge and you can see Jamie giving the complicated instructions for the " Chinese White Elephant Exchange."

As you can see by the expressions on Katie Losee's face she is delighted with here new party hat and Mardi Gras beads. But alas, she didn't get to keep them. Jamie managed to wind up with them after several deifferent people stole gifts from others (all according to the ever-changing rules of the game). I really wanted the Field and Stream tackle box I started out with, and would have re-gifted it. Somehow though I managed to get a rubber chicken, a stuffed chicken that sings, "Bird Bird Bird the Bird is the Word." and chicken flavored Ramon noodles. In the end we all got what we wanted, which was a good time and some laughs with some good long-lasting friends.

Introduction to Theology - Random Thoughts II

2008-12-05T18:53:00.002-05:00

1. There is only one meaning in a biblical text - the one intended by the author. There cannot be two meanings, though there can be many different applications. Meanings are objective. Meaning cannot be relative to the reader.

2. Truth is that which corresponds to reality (its object). There is no such thing as relative truth. To say that all truth is relative can only be done in an absolute statement (self defeating). Our knowledge is not absolute, but the underlying truth is.

3. Sincerity is not a test of truth. We can be sincerely wrong.

4. Consensus is not a test of truth. Everyone once thought the sun revolved around the earth, but they were wrong (did not know the truth). It does not hinge on the percentage of people who believe it, only on its correspondence to reality.

5. Opposing views cannot both be true. The opposite of true is false. Therefore the truth claims of different religions cannot all be true, since they are in opposition (Hinduism, Islam, Budism, Animism, Chrisitianity).

6. If there is an absolute moral law (knowledge of right and wrong) there has to be an absolute moral law giver. If there is not absolute moral law, then there is no way to judge one religion against another. We would not be able to judge good from evil.

7. One of the greatest evidences for the existence of miracles is the universe. It is impossible with our understanding of nature for something to be created out of nothing - yet here it is. (It is even more incredible to think that everything was created out of nothing by nothing).

8. It is self defeating to say we cannot know what is truth. To say so is to imply we can know that statement to be true.

9. There is more difference between God and His creation than there is between any two of His creations. There is more difference between God and man than between man and a virus or for that matter a rock.

10. God is spirit and therefore, by definition, beyond the perception of our senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing). Those senses then can only be used to learn of God indirectly - observing His creation, reading His word.

11. When the same word is used for both God and man it has different meanings, because is God is infinite and man is finite. God is wisdom - we possess some wisdom, though both may be referred to as wise. The definition is the same, but the application is different.

12. No concept taken from creation (finite) is adequate to express the essence of divinity (infinite). What we know of God we know in terms of analogy - "God is like..."

13. God is beyond our thoughts and concepts. Romans 11:33 (NIV) Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

14. Unless God gives to us what He does not have, we can get a glimpse of what God is like by observing His creation and its attributes.

15. Because all of our experience is with the finite, we can only have a limited concept of the infinite God by extending finite concepts indefinitely to descibe Him (being, wise, good, beauty).

Well, that's enough for now. Next, I plan to discuss God's revelation of Himself to us in both General Revelation (His creation) and Specific Revelation (His word). Let me know if any of this is of interest to you, makes sense, or is worth your time and mental energy. I enjoy the writing, because it helps me to organize my own thoughts. Stay tuned.

Random Thoughts on Theology - Introduction

2008-12-04T20:16:00.002-05:00

I thought I would start to share some of the things that have stimulated my brain as I read Norm Geisler's Systematic Theology, a four volume, 2400 page work. These first ones are from the introduction.

Arguments for the existance of God:

1 - The second law of thermodynamics says that everything is running down. Since the universe is not infinite, this points to a beginning. The universe is expanding. Regression takes us back to a beginning point.
2 - Since nothing cannot produce something, there must be a root cause for everthing that exists.
3 - Anything that changes must have a cause for that change. Everything changes, therefore everything has a cause. If we keep following the cause of the cause (regression) we are taken to a root cause. That root cause must be infinite or it too would need a cause. There can be only one infinity.
4 - All designs need a designer. No one sees an elegant building without realizing that there must be a talented architect. The more complex the design the greater the designer. The universe is incredibly complex.
5 - Gradual change (evolution) cannot account for complex designs like the eye. What good would a partial eye be. All of the complex parts necessary for vision would have to occur accidentally and at the same time for it to have any functionality. If it is not functional, why would natural selection account for it being more "fit" than no eye parts at all.
6 - There is an objective standard of right and wrong recognized by all men. We all recognize that is wrong for someone to steal from us. This is different from legislative law, culture, herd instinct, and the laws of nature. That we can recognize evil points to an absolute standard of good.
7 - God has chosen to reveal himself in nature (general revelation). We know him by His handiwork (Romans 1:19-20).
8 - Since we are created in His image, He reveals Himself in ourselves. For instance we have morality and intellect - created by intellect and good.
9 - God reveals Himself in history. We can learn of Him by studying how He has acted and interacted with man revealing to us His plan and purpose.
10 - God reveals Himself in human art. God created beings that not only appreciate the beauty of nature but are able to make beautiful things from it.
11 - God reveals Himself in music. Both men and angels make music that glorifies God.
12 - God reveals Himself in Scripture (special revelation). He has chosen to communicate with man in human language. It is only here that we learn of His plan for our salvation.
13 - General revelation condemns, showing us our imperfection (sin) in the light of God's perfection (holiness). Specific revelation saves. It is only here that we learn of God's plan to perfect us.
14 - God reveals Himself through His Son. The incarnation occurred when God added humanity to His diety. In Jesus there is one "what" but two "whos."
15 - God is eternal. He does not foresee the future, He simply sees it all - past, present, and future. He is not constrained by time but is outside of it. Einstein, in his theory of relativity, showed that time and space are related and that anything that is not constrained by space (everywhere at once, as God is) must also not be constrained by time (eternal). Prophecy demonstrates that God sees the future (or more correctly that He is in the future, just as He is in the present and the past). This is also how He can give us free will and the ability to choose to accept His plan of salvation and also choose us before the foundation of the world, It also explains planning for our salvation before Adam's sin. Because we cannot think outside of our experiences which are all within the context of time, we think cause must precede effect. How then can we understand The Son existing eternally with the Father and also being the only begotten of the Father?

Well, that is probably enough to stretch your mind a bit. I'll share more later.

Missions Conference

2008-11-24T21:39:00.002-05:00

I certainly got my battery charged this weekend attending our missions conference. We had with us two old friends, Paul Dye and Paul Wyma, and a new one, Oli Jacobson. It was interesting to learn that all three went to the foreign mission field as teenagers. Paul Dye was only 16 when his mother let him travel to the jungles of Venezuela. He hadn't even finished high school yet. He journeyed alone up into the jungle and stayed for months with just what he carried in his backpack. Of course, he had lived in the jungle most of his life.

On Friday night we had the opportunity to just talk with the men and their wives. They told us some incredible stories of heroism. They risked their very lives on many occasions to rescue the souls of men and women who otherwise would never hear the good news that brings eternal life.

On Saturday morning we again heard from the men as they gave what were sometimes lengthy and detailed answers to questions submitted to them (master story tellers). Again their courage was evident in everything that they said as well as their committment to the cause of Christ.

Saturday evening we watched a multimedia presentation of missionaries going out from our church to reach a tribe in the depths of the jungle of Bolivia 65 years ago. I had never seen the video that was shown. It was originally in black and white but was colorized. The narration was taken from actual letters that the missionaries sent back from that trip. The hardships that they endured, even before getting to the indians that would eventually kill them, was almost unbelievable. Still they kept going. This was followed by a video that I brought back from PNG showing the work among the Dinangat people which resulted in the salvation of many of them. We showed it to illustrate the way God has used that early beginning to build a ministry that now has over 3200 missionaries in tribal locations around the world. I sat next to Paul Wyma with Pat and Paul Dye behind me. Between us, we shed quite a few tears.

Sunday all three men spoke to us about the past, present and future of New Tribes Mission. After the first two we had a great pot-luck lunch. The preaching lasted nearly three hours (not as long as some movies). I enjoyed every minute. It was a great reminder of what God can do through those who will give their all for His use.

All of this was prefaced, for me, by a two day trip to New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, Mi. There I attended some classes, toured the facility, and visited with Brooke Hazen. I met several outstanding students. Three of those students came up for the conference and stayed at our house. Others stayed with Hazens and Stokes. Josh stayed with us and we had some great conversations.

Probably my only disappointment for the week was that more of our people, especially young people, did not attend. They missed the chance to hear some of the most outstanding missionary spokesmen on the planet.

Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow

2008-11-05T17:50:00.003-05:00

As I ponder the election of a man I do not agree with in a political sense, as my state has voted to legalize the use of marijuana, as they have also voted to legalize experimentation on human beings in the earliest stages of development, as for the first time a sitting Supreme Court Chief Justice of Michigan has been removed from office because of his conservative views, it is easy to be discouraged. It is easy to worry about what will happen. But, I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul said in a country ruled by an evil man far worse than what we will face and in an environment where his life was ultimately taken because he served the living God.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. - II Corinthians 4:8-11

Scripture tells us that the kings heart is in the hand of the Lord. We are also told that we are to give thanks in everything. Lets remember, as those saints in Hebrews 11, that we look for a city whose maker and builder is God.

Chocolate Cake and Pink Ribbons

2008-11-01T14:30:00.004-04:00

Pamala was here for her birthday last night. According to the number of years alloted to man by the book of Psalms, she has now reached middle age. Wow! She is my baby. What does that make me? To prevent serious fires there is a row of three and a row of five candles instead of one for every year.

Of course the baby always steals the show. His daddy, who always wants him to be dressed in boy stuff (not puppy dogs), put this pink ribbon in Evan's hair. He seemed to enjoy it, like he does everything. Such a happy boy!

15 Reasons (because every one else has a top 10)

2008-10-31T16:58:00.002-04:00

Here are some late thoughts on why we must not vote for Barack Obama.

1. He favors abortion on demand. He has voted to preserve the right of a woman to abort her baby up until minutes before natural birth through the "partial birth abortion" procedure. He has even voted to withhold medical care from any baby born alive after a botched abortion.

2. He writes in his own book that as a young man he sought out friends among Marxist professors and now supports a tax plan to take money from those who have earned it to give it to those who have not - a redistribution of wealth. He has stated that he will repeal the Bush tax cuts that have lowered taxes for all wage earners, including the middle class.
Charlie Rangle has stated that there are plenty of rich people who need to be taxed more.

3. He has stated that he will withdraw from Iraq, reversing the victory that has been won through the blood of our armed forces. His party, through Barney Frank, has promised to cut military spending by 25-30%.

4. He opposed the Defense of Marriage Act, which recognizes marriage as being between one man and one woman.

5. He favors Judges and Justices of the Supreme Court that will not follow the original intent or be restricted by the literal language of the Constitution, but rather will right social injustices by making rulings that have no basis in either the Constitution or law. He stated that it is one of the failures of the civil rights movement that the courts did not find a way to redistribute wealth.

6. By all accounts the House and Senate will be dominated by Democrats after the election. With this man as president there will be no checks and balances to slow or prevent him from doing the most radical of his proposals. He will have unfettered ability to appoint liberal judges who serve for life.

7. He favors homesexual clergy and opposes the right of churches to deny employment to those who disagree on fundamental issues of faith.

8. His associations over the last two decades have been primarily with people who have a radical agenda that includes overthrowing our present form of government. Even his spiritual advisor was a hate-monger and a racist.

9. He toasted a man who was a Palestinian terrorist and had just condemned Israel's right to exist at the same dinner.

10. He has never had an executive position and has spent most of his time as a politician running for a higher office. Even members of his own party, including Hillary and Bill Clinton and his own running mate, Joe Biden, have said in the past that he is not ready or qualified to be president.

11. I am frightened by the cult-like following he has. When I hear 100,000 people chanting Obama and see how he is able to fire up crowds with his soring rhetoric without ever really saying anything, I am reminded of images of Adolf Hitler doing the same in Germany.

12. The adulation of the press has reached proportions never seen before in a presidential race. If these people are this biased now will they fairly cover anything once he is elected? He has kicked journalists off his media plane and out of news conferences that disagree with him. He advocates the return of the "fairness doctrine," which requires that any station or paper or even blogger, must give equal time to both sides of any issue. This would force stations to either remove people like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity or broadcast an equal amount of time for a liberal for whom they can not sell advertising and no one wants to hear. By the way, the courts have ruled that the old law was unconstitutional, but that makes no difference.

13. Joe Biden, who ran for president and got as little as 1.5% of the vote in some instances, would be next in line to be the leader of the free (for now) world.

14. Never has any candidate, at any time in history, made more promises to spend your money for new programs. Just his new programs have been estimated to cost as much as $6,000 per person per year for every citizen of this country on top of what we already pay.

15. Though we have the second highest corporate tax rate of any industrial nation, he proposes raising taxes and thinks that this will attract more new jobs to this country. He also proposes raising taxes on "the rich," which is all those making over $250,000 or $200,000 or $150,000 or $125,000 or $42,000, depending on which speach you believe. Who doesn't think that will result in more of these people moving businesses offshore or finding loopholes to avoid taxes?

Obamanomics

2008-10-24T10:08:00.003-04:00

This article from the New York Post is very interesting. It have noticed lately that each time McCain's poll numbers improve the market goes up. When Obama improves it goes down. CEOs of major corporations overwhelmingly support McCain. Ted Kennedy is said to already begun work on a national health care plan so that it could be passed as soon as Barack takes office. Tax hike bills are being written also. It looks like there will be substantial gains in both the Senate and House, so there will be no checks and balances to stop either legislation or the appointment of liberal judges. It should also be noted that our economy was running at record highs with low inflation, record low unemployment and a surging market until the Democrats took control of the Congress two years ago with the promise of improving the economy. Why has no one run a story on how their promises line up with what actually happened?

AN OBAMA PANIC?
MARKETS FEAR HIS POLICIES
By CHARLES GASPARINO

Obama: Sticking by his plans for lots of new taxing and spending.
Last updated: 1:45 pmOctober 15, 2008 Posted: 4:09 amOctober 13, 2008
Barack Obama has re mained cool and confident amid the financial melt down, even as John McCain at times has been embarrassing, lurching from one proposal to the next. But while the polls are reflecting Obama's steady hand, the markets haven't. In fact, they're getting worse by the day as Obama's lead widens.
See Gasparino Talk About Obama's Economics on CNBC.
Most investors know the devil is in the details - and the details of Obama's economic plans are anything but reassuring.
Of course, the market turmoil is first a reflection of grim reality - the bursting of the housing bubble and the billions upon billions in writedowns and losses that have forced upon the hugely leveraged financial firms companies that had cranked big profits during the bubble years.
The resulting credit crunch is hitting Main Street harder than ever before. The country is headed for recession; the only question is: Just how low can the markets and economy go?
It could be a lot lower - it all depends on the policies of the next president.
And, as it looks increasingly likely that Obama will be that man, the markets are casting a vote of "no confidence."
To be fair, McCain hardly instills confidence among the Wall Streeters I speak to. Why has his campaign spent the last week focusing on Obama's friendship with former terrorist William Ayers - when it should be hitting Obama's blind loyalty to policies that bring together the worst elements of Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter?
Recently, Obama said he wants to expedite loans to small businesses, so he seems to have a clue that they produce much of the country's job growth. Yet his income-tax hike on upper brackets will hit vast numbers of small businesses - they'd face the highest rates they've seen in decades.
Overall, his plan includes some of the most lethal tax increases imaginable, including a jump in the capital-gains rate. He'd expand government spending massively, with everything from new public-works projects to increases in foreign aid to a surge in Afghanistan - plus hand out a token $500 welfare check that he calls a tax cut to everyone else.
This is clearly the wrong way to go in the wake of an economic meltdown - yet Obama, for all his talk of how willing he is to compromise, of how he'd bring people together, is sticking to his tax guns.
I know at least one top Wall Street executive, an Obama supporter from the start of his campaign, who has recently urged Obama to rethink his tax plan - and that was before last week's record losses on the Dow.
But if Obama is rethinking, he's not saying. As his running mate, Joe Biden tells us that it's patriotic to pay higher taxes, Obama remains committed to squeezing businesses even if the recession grows.
The closest evidence I could find of compromise from Obama on taxes came in a June interview with CNBC, when he said: "Some of those [tax hikes] you could possibly defer. But I think the basic principle of restoring fairness to our economy and encouraging bottom-up economic growth is important."
It's easy to understand why so many of my colleagues in the media have fallen head over heels for Obama. He's smart, ambitious and cool under pressure. But what is he really like under the surface?
Some reckon that a President Obama won't go through with his plans. They look at his (thin) record and see a wimp who's never taken a firm stand on much of anything, much less enacting tax hikes during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
I look at Obama's record differently. From his days as a community activist, to his years in the Illinois Senate and now his brief time in the US Senate, he has shown little inclination to deviate from his party's tax-and-spend orthodoxy.
And if he governs like a liberal ideologue - with a belief that the government that works best is the one that's biggest and raises taxes the most - he won't even have to work hard to get his way. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid won't stop him - the Democratic majorities in Congress are only likely to grow.
And the markets know this - even if pundits (even many of the financial ones) refuse to face it.
No one can blame the faltering stock market solely on Obama's tax plans or McCain's own inanity on economic issues. But stock prices reflect current market conditions plus best guesses of what's coming down the road. And I keep hearing nervous traders and investors talk about "a lack of leadership from Washington."
Charles Gasparino is on-air editor at CNBC and author of the forthcoming book "The Sellout" about the current financial crisis.

Where is our focus?

2008-10-23T09:56:00.002-04:00

I know many of you are worried about the coming election and the economic situation. We have been studying the book, "Is God on America's Side," during our "Time at the Table." It is very timely, expecially with the current economic situation. I thought I would share a few thoughts that have come my way through this study.

1. The Bible does not urge us to be politically active or rebel against the government. In contrast, Paul tells Timothy that they are to pray for their political leaders. This at a time when the lunatic, Nero, was in power and the Roman government was oppressing the Christians to the point of watching their murder for entertainment. I Tim. 2:1-5

2. Politics can never be the answer for the country or the world. It is based on a wrong headed world view. We will never win the world to Christ through laws, electing the "right people," appointing the right judges, outlawing same sex marriages, or forcing people to say 'Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." This is confusing cause and effect. Those things occur as a result the redemptive work of the Cross of Christ on the hearts of men. When we try to impose Christian morality on the unsaved, all we do is alienate them and give them the impression that our hope as Christians is in the things we do or do not do rather than on what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus and the early church lived under the most oppressive of governments, yet His answer was, "Go into all the world and preach the good news (the gospel)."

3. Christians have often used their faith as a political force and used terms like "evangelical", and "Christian right" as political labels. We have tried to change our world through the power of our argument or rhetoric rather than the power of the Holy Spirit. What if the American church had put as much effort into spreading the gospel as we have in electing politicians? Lutzer grieves because, "the cross of Christ appears as a dilapidated bulletin board cluttered with a whole host of issues."

4. We can shine brighter in a godless environment, like stars in the dark sky. Examples abound in scripture - Daniel in Babylon, Joseph in Egypt, Paul under Rome. When governments get cozy with the church, the church is weakened. Perhaps the church has gotten so much like the world that God will create a climate that will force us to make a clear choice and choose sides. This weekend Tom Harmon spoke at Men's Retreat and spoke of drawing a line then taking a side. You can't do much with each foot in a different boat. Do those around us see our values as spiritual (concern for their lost condition and eternal destiny) or temporal (health and wealth)?

5. America is not immune from God's judgement. He judged His own people who turned from the truth. Others suffered as a result. Jonah was a prophet of God and brought near disaster to all on the ship he boarded. In fact, we are told that if we are sons of God we can expect His discipline, and if we do not receive it we should question whether we are really sons. Heb. 12:5-11.

6. We are not to be suprised if we suffer as Christians, but rather commit ourselves to our Faithful Creator and do good. I Pet. 4:12-19

7. We will quickly become downhearted if we look at the situation around us. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We live not for this world, but for the next. Not for those things that we can not take with us, but for the eternal. Not for a political party but for the King of Kings. The world will not be impressed by hand wringing and worry, but by our confidence and joy. We are not to do our best under the circumstances but rather to live above the circumstances in the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Camp Barakel Men's Retreat

2008-10-21T19:56:00.003-04:00

This weekend a dozen men from Immanuel Bible Church made their way to Camp Barakel for Men's Retreat. Tom Harmon made our chapels interesting and challenging. For some this was the favorite activity.

For others, the favorite activity is eating. They did have some great food, thanks to the great cooks and volunteers who gave of their time for us.

For some, it was just a great chance to relax. There will always be another time for rifle, archery, hiking, football, and all that other stuff that requires energy. Besides, other guys are already doing that. And who can sleep at night with all that racket?

Visit to Hartland

2008-10-21T19:25:00.003-04:00

Sunday, about thirty seconds after returning from Men's Retreat at Barakel, we went to Hartland. We took pumpkins for the kids that we grew out by our pool. At the beginning of summer I gave the kids seeds and challenged them to grow a bigger pumpkin than me. But their seeds failed to produce. I guess there just wasn't enough sun or the soil was not good enough in their backyard.
Evan showed us, as we were about to leave, that he had learned something new. He recognizes that you can open a cupboard and see all the interesting stuff inside. This along with his newly found mobility will make life more interesting for the Wickmans.
Hannah wanted to show you how much bigger the pumpkins were than her head. Though grown on the same vine, each of the three pumpkins had a different color.
We also had a chance to visit with our old friend and former pastor, Don Kirkland. An open house was held at his former church just down the road from Pam and James. He is retiring due to health reasons and is now living and serving the Lord at Youth Haven Ranch, where he can be close to his daughter, Amy Carlson, and her family. We have some great memories of camping, hunting, and fellowship with him.

Interesting Link

2008-10-11T21:03:00.003-04:00

This link takes you to an interesting video on Barack Obama's view of the Bible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27IWTqTm6iM

What we did in PNG

2008-10-08T21:14:00.002-04:00

Here are a few pictures that help to illustrate some of the tasks we performed on our recent trip.

The first picture is of the kids at "Avalanch Ranch." This was the VBS type program we put on for the missionaries' kids. Some of the moms said this was the first time that they were able to sit in on the actual conference, since usually they had to take care of the kids while the men met and were encouraged.
This second picture shows Chris, Pastor Mark and Levi working on the construction project. This roof had been built over the old conference center. It was our job to remove the ceiling and the siding from the outside so that it could be replaced. It was very hot and full of geckos and lizards and all the stuff they leave behind. By the way, this is the first time I have seen roof trusses made of mahogany.
Lynn is shown here doing hair. She got up early and did laundry before breakfast. Then did crafts and snack for the kids' program before cutting and setting and highlighting hair until supper time. Another missionary cut men's hair. For some of these missionaries that had been in the bush it was the first time in months or even years to be treated like this. It was a great chance to show real love to these who serve in a hard place. And you can see, Lynn did it all with a smile.
The picture of me shows how I was dressed to present the picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. I appeared as one of the disciples telling the story and hearing for the first time of the fact that Jesus was alive. Another day I was a doctor who was unable to treat Naaman, the leper who was healed by God through Elisha. On the first day, the kids were walked through water with a blue tarp on each side to illustrate the crossing of the Jordan River. That story was used to teach them that they had to exercise faith themselves and not rely on that of their parents. I had great fun and the kids were very attentive.

In the last one Chris is seen doing dishes. We did quite a bit of food preparation and cleanup before and after meals.

Susie and Karen cared for little babies and all of us chipped in with lots of small tasks. Pastor Mark was the keynote speaker for the missionaries. Many spoke to us about his powerful use of the Word of God to encourage them. We worked with the kids at the same time, so we didn't get to hear him. We did get to hear the field reports from some of the teams that were presented in the evening sessions.

Pictures from Papua New Guinea

2008-10-06T13:27:00.002-04:00

Here are a few shots that will give a little feel from my recent missions trip. In the first one are some of our group waiting for the "bus" - a truck known as a PMV or public motor vehicle. Those are bananas and coconuts in the background. The umbrella is not for rain, it is to keep the hot sun off.
The second picture is the "bus." You ride on hard bench seats while the truck driver dodges potholes and you bump into the folks next to you. The cost is about 80 cents, which is too much for most of the locals, who walk. It was about 15 miles to town.
The third picture is sunrise at the mission compound. The tent in the picture was partially taken down by a rainstorm in the night. It rained nearly every day and kept the humidity in the 90 per cent range. On the other hand, it certainly is a beautiful tropical land. Fruit and flowers grow everywhere. Coconuts, bananas, guava, papaya, mango, pinapple, and other fruits that I could not recognize are in abundance. Then tent was used for our kids' program for games to shelter them from sun and rain, although the kids didn't seem to notice the weather.
If you look closely at the fourth picture you will see a small building over the water with a small wooden walkway leading to it. This is the "leak-leak house." They are outhouses built over the water and used by the people in the villages. They simply count on the rising and falling tides of the ocean to wash away the waste. We decided that trying to get across the narrow bridge would be a challenge in the daytime, and much more so in the middle of the night.

The last picture illustrates one of the major problems with the lifestyle of the Riwo villagers. We didn't notice at first what was hanging in these bags. They were babies. When I asked about the their names I was told that they don't have names yet. They wait until they are about a year old to see if they will live or not.
While visiting in this home we were served "soup." They killed three chickens for us. Then Lynn and Susie helped cut up some sweet potatoes while Mark schredded some coconut. They washed the coconut and used the water to make a broth that they used to cook the rest along with some greens. The schredded coconut was then fed to the pigs under the slats in the floor. Lynn observed while they squeezed an octopus to pop out the brain before cooking it whole. We watched to make sure that everything was brought to a boil over the open fire of the "kitchen." Still we all were glad in the next couple of days for Imodium AD.
The men of the village sleep in a "man's house." The women and nursing babies are in another and the rest of the children in a third. The kitchen is a separate building. When I mentioned that the men and women must get together sometime to produce all the kids that were around I was told that was done in the garden. That way the yams will see and get the idea that they need to reproduce and will be more furtile.
I will try to get some more pictures and stories posted in the future.

We're Off!

2008-09-19T11:20:00.003-04:00

Well this is it. We leave today for Papua New Guinea. In some ways it still seems a little unreal. We have five separate flights beginning this afternoon. The longest will be over 14 hours in length. By tomorrow we will be on the other side of the world.

Please pray that God will work out all the details of travel and our work over there to glorify Himself. There are lots of things to fret about if we choose, but we choose to trust the God that is in control.

We hope to bring you some pictures when we get back. I am going to keep a journal so that I don't forget important details.

Thanks you to all who have joined our team as financial supporters. A couple of heart-warming ones come to mind. Hannah and James brought me a jar last night with $7.50 in it that they had collected to contribute. The first week we announced the trip, Kaleb Klein (a former member of our Sunday night class) came up to me and handed me a $10 bill and said "here, its for your trip." This week one of our missionaries notified the church that they wanted their entire monthly support check to go to the trip. All of the support we have gotten has been shared with the entire team. some have asked if we have all the money. The answer is no. But a substantial majority has come in and we are trusting God to supply the rest. You who have given or prayed are vital to this ministry. It is so encouraging to see folks walking around with the little prayer bracelets on their arms. These were given out to people who said they would use them as a reminder to pray for us each day until we return on October 4.

Just think

2008-09-10T08:59:00.002-04:00

Just think of waking up in Glory and finding it home.

Last night at 5:15 Sue Seamon entered into a new phase of her life, absent from the body but present with the Lord. Praise God for the joy with which she faced this big step. What an encouragement to those of us who look forward to that day. I am reminded of my own mother during her last hours. She clearly stated that she was not afraid when told by the doctor that she could not live more than a couple more hours. Such courage comes because they faced their appointment with certainty and not "a fear of the unknown." This is true faith, without which it is impossible to please God. Life here on this planet is short. Eternity with our Savior and all of His own is unimaginably long. Death is a reminder to focus on the important. I am beginning to understand my father's statement near the end of his life when he said, "I have more friends over there than I do here." Dad met many "friends" in Heaven that he had opportunity to point to the Savior. May we do the same.

2008-09-08T09:23:00.003-04:00

The following comes from Michelle Malkin's blog. It draws a sharp line between the two vice presidential candidates on the subject of abortion. Sarah Palin, a mom who chose to give birth to a downs syndrome child vs. a Senator who admits that he believes life begins at conception yet has voted over and over again in favor of abortion because of his "political responsibilities." What kind of a monstor is willing to sacrifice the lives of millions of the most innocent for personal political gain?

Joe Biden told Meet the Press yesterday that he was “prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at conception,” a strange statement with a number of implications — most of them ugly and a few monstrous. Kate Phillips at the New York Times puts this in its proper perspective; Biden faces a suddenly popular foe in Sarah Palin, and has to find ways to curtail her advantage. Biden understands that Palin’s own commitment to life makes it difficult to enter into an abortion debate with her, and perhaps wants to eliminate that as a topic:
Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee for vice president, departed Sunday from party doctrine on abortion rights, declaring that as a Catholic, he believes life begins at conception.
However, if Biden believes it does, then what does that say about the value he places on human life? Or for anything else other than Biden’s own self? It strongly suggests that Biden values his political career much more. In his record, he talks about subordinating this belief to his “political responsibilities”. Well, ethics are a personal belief as well, and no one dies when they get bent or broken. How much does he value his “political responsibilities” over those?

Thanks for Praying

2008-09-08T08:48:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, during our morning worship service, Pastor Mark announced that Lynn and Jessie had made bracelets with the letters PNG TEAM for everyone who would wear them and pray daily for us from now until we return to the U.S. on October 4. It was so encouraging to see almost everyone there take one. I know that if they really pray it will make a huge difference. We want to minister to and encourage those who have given their lives so that people living in darkness can be brought to the glorious light of the Savior. Most of all we want to bring glory to HIM. Even if you didn't get a bracelet yesterday, we would appreciate your prayers. You can pray that the Holy Spirit will use each of us, but specifically Pastor Mark, as he speaks to the adult missionaries and me, as I present the lesson to the kids during the conference. Pray that I will be able to keep their attention and present the Word of God in a way that will positively impact their lives. I have been told specifically not to assume that these kids are all born again just because their parents are missionaries. It would be wonderful if God could use us to present the gospel in a way that He could use to draw some to Himself. Pray also that all of our finances will be provided. Who would have ever thought that God would allow me to go half way around the world to speak on His behalf.

McCAIN PALIN

2008-09-06T18:53:00.005-04:00

This is in response to Kris K, who asked my opinion about the Republican ticket. I am not sure why my opinion counts. You know what they say about supply and demand. The more there is of something, the less it is worth, and everybody on earth has an opinion.

I'll just say right at the top that I think this is the best choice in this election, then I'll tell you some reasons why. That doesn't mean that I agree with any candidate on everything. I know this is kind of long, but I tried to restrict it to the first twenty reasons that come to mind.

(1) McCain and Palin are both pro-life, Obama and Biden are both in favor of a woman having the option of killing her unborn child up until the day of birth. Obama has even voted against a bill that would have protected the life of a child born alive after a botched abortion.

(2) McCain and Palin both claim to be born again Christians - McCain is a member of a Baptist Church in Phoenix and was Baptized there since becoming a Senator. Palin was raised in an Assembly of God Church and currently attends an evangelical Bible Church in Alaska. Biden is a Roman Catholic who does not support his churches positions in several areas (notably abortion). Obama was raised during his early childhood as a Muslim and for 20 years was member of Jeremiah Wright's Trinity Church in Chicago which featured sermans filled with hatred pushing "black liberation theology."

(3) McCain is a genuine American Hero. He has dedicated his life to serving his country at great personal peril including torture and prison. He has not been afraid to buck the establishment, including his own political party when he disagreed nor to work with the other party when he felt they were in agreement. Palin, as Governor of Alaska, was commander of the National Guard, and visited her soldiers in Kuwait and other places where they were stationed. On the other hand, Biden managed to avoid military service with five separate deferrments and both he and Obama have repeatedly voted against our military and have suggested the best way to peace is to retreat when our enemies attack then negotiate from a position of weekness. He has worked with associated with and given speeches with a man who admits to terrorist bombings of the Pentagon and says his only regret is that he didn't do more bombings - Bill Ayers.

(4) McCain has supported lower taxes to stimulate the economy. Palin has lowered taxes in Alaska. Obama and Biden have proposed raising taxes on "the rich," capital gains, inheritances, gas, 'big oil," corporations, stock-holders, social security and medicare taxes, while giving tax breaks to "the middle class." This has been described as taking water out of the other side of the bucket. All of this to fund bigger government.

(5) Senator Biden is an elite politician who has been part of the Washington problem for over thirty years. Sarah Palin is a mother, wife, and working mom who took on the establishment in her own state, opposing politicians in both parties who were corrupt. She is an all-American woman who cooks for her own family, gets her own kids ready for school, is married to guy who is a skilled laborer and can identify with the common person who gets up and goes to work every day.

(6) Senator Obama has tried to paint Senator McCain as a racist while he is a champion of equality. In truth Senator McCain has proven that a lie not only by his public record but on a personal level when he adopted a very dark skinned girl from India. While this was going on, Obama was attending a very racist church which attacked people for being rich and white.

(7) The Democrats attacked Sarah Palin on the basis that her husband had been arrested on a DUI twenty years ago, but ignored the fact that, in his own autobiography, Obama admitted that twenty years ago he was experimenting with pot and cocaine.

(8) Both McCain and Palin support gun rights that are specified in the 2nd amendment to the Constitution. Both Obama and Biden have voted to limit gun rights and Barak recently labeled the recent Supreme Court decision recognizing such rights as "just wrong." John McCain has born arms in defense of his country. Sarah Palin is a hunter and target shooter.

(9) Both Obama and Biden have spoken in support of reviving the "fairness doctrine," which would require radio and TV stations to either air programs of equal length taking the opposite opinion or remove politically oriented broadcasting. This would effectively deny freedom of speech to many of the most popular talk radio and TV stations and programs. Congress and the courts have previously declared that such legislation is contrary to the first amendment. Obama has also sided with those who claim that radio frequencies belong to the government and should be denied to religious broadcasters on the basis of separation of church and state, a position that has already been put into effect in Canada. Both McCain and Palin oppose such moves.

(10) John McCain, in over 20 years in the House of Representatives and the Senate has never asked for "earmarks" - special legislation authorizing spending that benefits only one person, company or project in the district he represents. Senator Obama in his year and a half in the Senate has already proposed and voted for dozens.

(11) Both McCain, a former navy officer, and Palin, a sitting Governor and former mayor have executive experience. Neither Obama nor Biden have any executive experience.

(12) McCain knows when life begins - "at conception" - and stated so in his interview with Rick Warren. Obama said the question "is above my pay grade."

(13) Senator McCain has not only travelled extensively throughout the world, but claims many of the world's leaders as his friends. Obama made one of his first overseas trips as a senator only after McCain kept chiding him on the subject.

(14) Obama talks about how the government must help the needy. But he has a brother living in Africa who lives on $12 per year while Barak earned over $4.5 million last year and didn't contribute anything to help his family. McCain and his wife Cindy found two young girls in Mother Theresa's orphanage in India and brought them back to the U.S. for medical treatment adopting one of them as their own daughter.

(15) Senator McCain proposed the Surge strategy for Iraq, even when the President didn't. That strategy, by Obama's own admission "has been far more effective than anyone could have dreamed." At the same time Obama demanded we withdraw in defeat. Though his view was unpopular at the time McCain stated, "I would rather lose an election than a war."

(16) Both McCain and Palin are in favor of drilling for oil in areas off-shore and building 50 more atomic power plants to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lower the cost of gas. Both Obama and Biden have fought against both of these solutions in favor of unproven new "green technology," and higher gas taxes at the pump and excess profits taxes on the oil companies (which will be passed on to the consumers). McCain and Palin advocate pursuing these other forms of energy production while we use the proven methods we already have. In the last 30 years the Democrats have opposed not only new drilling but clean coal technology, nuclear power, new refinery construction, drilling in off-shore areas and the arctic. During this same time the French have developed nuclear power plants that supply not only 80% of their power but export it to much of Europe and the Chinese have teamed up with the Cubans to drill in some of these same off-shore sites just outside our teritorial waters.

(17) Both McCain and Palin favor allowing parents to use the money government provides for education to be used in a variety of schools of choice, including charter schools, faith based schools, and private schools through vouchers. This would force competition which would result in not only allowing parents to choose the best schools but force bad schools to improve or go out of business. Both Obama and Biden support the teachers union's in their opposition to anything that would threaten the status quo. Their answer to better education is always higher taxes and more money being spent. Every study has shown that there is no correlation between the amount spent on schools and the best schools. Districts, such as Detroit and Washington DC, have spent more money per pupil than most and have the highest drop out rates, and lowest scores on tests.

(18) Both McCain and Palin support free trade agreements that have been shown to create more jobs than losses and lower prices for all sides. Both Obama and Biden not only oppose any further agreements but favor going back on our word and cancelling the agreements already made with other countries. This will not only destroy our credibility abroad but hurt us economically.

(19) Both McCain and Palin favor appointing judges that will rule on the law based on a clear interpretation of the Constitution as it is written. Both Obama and Biden favor judges that legislate from the bench, finding rights such as abortion and requiring actions such as busing between school districts that are not found in either law or the Constitution. I prefer that law be made by the folks we elect for that purpose.

(20) Both McCain and Palin favor restricting marriage to a union of one man to one woman. Obama and Biden have at various times favored gay marriage and opposed it in favor of civil unions which would have all the rights and priveleges of a married couple.

Praise and Pictures

2008-09-03T20:31:00.007-04:00

First, I want to praise the Lord for His provision. So far, we have received almost half of the financial support we need for our missions trip to Papua New Guinea. We need you each to pray that the remainder will come in soon. Also, and equally important, we need your prayer for the ministry that we will be involved in. Pray for Pastor Mark as he teaches the adult missionaries, and please pray for me as I will have the responsibility of teaching their children. Others will be involved with support roles, such as crafts, games, food prep., laundry and all of us will work on 0ther projects, such as construction. Pray for good health. The temperature is predicted to be between 87 and 90 degrees with humidity in the 85-95 percent level.

Next, I wanted to post a couple of my pictures from our weekend at Camp Barakel, where we participated in Family Camp with Chris, Pam & James, Hannah, James, and Evan. I don't know how one little guy seemed to worm his way into all the pictures, or what that big guy is doing on the bouldering wall with him on his back. The pictures were taken with my phone, which accounts for the sub-par quality (that and the photographer's lack of skill).

Thanks

2008-08-25T10:45:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we just don't take the time to thank some of the people who do so much to benefit us all. Maybe we are afraid that we will offend by leaving someone out - so we leave everyone out. I want to thank a couple people who have worked hard behind the scenes.

Kraig Klien used his professional skills and heavy equipment (man toys) to accomplish some really nice things at our church. He hooked up electrical service to our picnic pavillion earlier this summer. He brought over his skid loader on our work day to move wood chips and some big rocks for landscaping. Just this last week he worked an afternoon into his busy schedule to run a water line out to the picnic area, using his big trencher. Incidentally, we wondered how long it would take for some kid to use it to spray another with water. We found out Sunday when a big kid, John Rezayi, started it.

Todd Losee has spent many hours working in our church woods to make it accessible and to create an archery course to use this fall. There are some bridges and boardwalks and tons of wood chips. By the way, it isn't done yet and he could still use some help. Thanks to all the others who helped him on the recent work day. If you haven't done so, you should take the kids for a walk through the woods. It is a great place to observe God's creative hand with them.

Casey Viehl has been a faithful servant setting up chairs for our Sunday services. He often comes in after midnight to make sure we are comfortable for the next day. Most people have no idea how this happens. He just serves the Lord quietly behind the scenes. Others come in every Saturday and work with John Rezayi to set up the sound equipment and the stage. Some, like Debby Sauer, make sure there are flowers and other decorations in place. Wilma Sams works on putting music together and making sure we have special music. The Praise Band and Worship Leaders come in a practice the program that Pastor Matt puts together. All of this so that we can walk in and concentrate our time on worship without distraction, in a setting that supports the message God has for us.

I'm sure you can think of many more. Some of you who read this will be from other churches where there are the same type of folks. When you see them, let them know how much you appreciate what they do. They don't do it for the praise of men, but for the glory of God. Still, I'm sure it would be an encouragement for them.

Papua New Guinea

2008-08-20T21:14:00.002-04:00

For the last couple of months I have seen the item in our church bulletin. The New Tribes Missionaries of Papua New Guinea were requesting a team from our church to come and assist them with a regional conference.

I knew that this was something that I could do, and desired to do, but I also knew that I certainly did not have the money for such a trip. I contemplated the tasks of teaching children of missionaries and assisting with the conference logistics. But what really caught my eye was that they wanted folks from home to come and encourage the missionaries. I had been reading of how the Apostle Paul had sent Timothy to the Ephesians, the Collosians, and the Thesolonians with the express purpose of encouraging them. I thought of what a costly, lengthy and difficult trip this must have been. Certainly he must have thought it important.

During our backpacking trip I was talking to Lynn Hazen by the campfire one night when I learned for the first time that Pastor Mark had been invited to be the keynote speaker for this conference of around one hundred missionaries. Several possible hindrances to his going were discussed. I felt it was a high honor for them to invited him and voiced my feeling that he should go. In order for the conference to be a success they needed a team to run a children's program so that the adults could benefit as much as possible and also to minister to these kids who are often cut off from the benefits our kids have. They don't have things like Sunday School or Youth Programs. They often don't have contact with peers from their own culture or fellow Christians.

When we returned we learned that the conference had been moved up to the last week in September and that they needed to have committments from those individuals who could go within a couple of days in order to secure tickets at the lowest possible price. I talked with Dan Stokes and told him I had the time but no money. He assured me that everyone says that and that God is not short of funds. It would be a great step of faith for eight of us to commit not knowing where the money would be provided.

I remembered a message I heard at the Moody Pastor's Conference a couple of years ago. The speaker had spoken on growing your faith and the faith of your congregation. He said, "If you can write all your plans on a yellow legal tablet and list all the answers there is no faith involved. It is only when you believe God is leading you and you commit to follow Him without any idea how it can be done that faith is required."

Eight of us - Pastor Mark and Lynn, Christian Luter (my son), Susie Aberg, Dan and Kathy Stokes, Karen Damaske (Robyn Lenz's mother) and myself - committed to go. Tickets were purchased on my church credit card. I began getting shots and immuniztions for Hepatitus, Typhoid, and Malaria. A letter was sent out to members of our congregation asking them to partner with us financially. Now we wait to see God's hand at work.

My main task will be to teach kids ages 6 through 13. There will be about 40 kids in all. Others will take care of crafts, games, etc. We all will also help with food preparation, set-up and other tasks to support the conference. We plan to stay for two weeks and will probably be involved with some construction projects after the conference is completed.

Please let us know if you can support us in prayer or financially. Those who do are equally important members of the team with those of us who will go. Our missionaries in this region have left the comforts of home, the joys of family (often grandparents don't see their grandkids for up to four years) and the coulntry they love for the sake of serving Our Father and bringing the gospel to those who would not otherwise hear. My committment of two weeks is a very small thing if it will encourage them and allow them to be strengthened in their faith.

Encouragement for the ultimate journey

2008-08-14T15:43:00.003-04:00

This morning Cathy and I were invited, along with several others from our church family, to visit briefly with Sue Seaman. First we were briefed on her condition by her daughter. Doctors are not predicting but have told her that she should do anything that she feels must be done in the next week or so.

As Sue entered the room we were a bit taken aback by her appearance. Her skin is very yellow now due to liver failure. She is a bit unsteady in her walk. But, her smile is as big as ever.

If we thought we were there to encourage her, we soon found that God would encourage us through her courage and confidence in her Savior. She hugged each of us and told us good bye. I told her that it looked like she would see my parents before me and asked her to say hi and tell them I am a grandpa now. She said she sure would. Sue told us that she has no fear of her death, but does worry a bit about the process. Though her body is weak, her voice is strong and her spirit is stronger. Many tears were shed as we each contemplated both her and our own mortality. She talked about how unimportant this short life will seem in comparison with eterniity. I was pleased to be able to pray for the group and thank God for Sue's testimony and how it ministered to each of us.

Sue and Tim will be hosting a reception for her daughter's wedding at the church on Saturday. She said it now looks like she will not be able to make it, though that has been her desire. Her only regrets are that she will not see her grandchildren grow up or be here to see her son's wedding.

The elders prayed with Sue a couple of weeks ago. Her request was not for healing, although she would want that if it was the will of God, but rather that she would have peace through this time. It would seem that our prayers have been answered with a resounding "yes" by our compassionate Father. Please continue to pray for Sue, Tim, and their family. May she have a glorious entry into the Father's waiting arms where there will be no need for doctors, hospitals, chemotherapy or funeral homes. May those left behind rejoice in her victorious promotion as we live for that day when we will join her there.

2008-08-12T21:26:00.003-04:00

I ran into this by John Hawkins. As I read it I couldn't help but think of our tiny planet and then how unimportant each human seems. Then I thought of how God looked down through all of this and loved me enough to plan for my salvation through the cross. I also realized that all of this came into being by a simple Word. It reminded me of the tremendous power of The Word of God. I don't think John Hawkins is a believer. He would be among those who actually have the faith (false) to believe that all of this was created out of nothing by the power of nothing.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearlyu seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Psalm 19:1-3 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

The Crazy Part: The part where the Universe isn’t just bigger than you can possibly comprehend, but according to recent evidence, billions of times larger than that.
What It Says: That the universe is big. So big, that just that fact, just it’s mere bigness, is enough to blow your tiny ant mind. And it just keeps getting bigger. Let’s examine the famous Hubble Ultra Deep Field image, the most massive photo ever taken:
In this picture, are approximately 10,000 galaxies.
Each of those galaxies contains anywhere from ten million to one trillion stars.
The average star is roughly a million times the size of Earth.
And yet, with all that junk, the Universe is more than 90 percent empty space.
All of that, in this tiny photo. A photo that took 400 orbits and 800 exposures to take.
And the kicker? The photo covers one thirteen-millionth of the entire night sky.

Wait, It Gets Worse: So all that stuff we just said about how big the universe is (at least 90 billion light years)? Forget it. That’s small beans. The Cosmological Horizon is here to make your day a whole lot more complicated. Since we can only observe stellar bodies that have had some effect on us (usually bombarding us with light), there is an outer limit to what we can see of the universe. Hence, the “observable universe.” What about the rest? The parts of the universe beyond our Starcraft-style fog of war? Well, according to some math we have no interest in going into, the size of the “actual” universe is so large that if the universe we just described (the impossibly, mind-bogglingly large one) were the size of a quarter, the actual universe would be the size of the earth.

Obama's Infantacide

2008-08-12T20:54:00.003-04:00

If you are a Christian and considering a vote for Obama, please read this by Pat Buchanan first.

A Catholic Case Against Barack
08/12/2008

In the Pennsylvania primary, Barack Obama rolled up more than 90 percent of the African-American vote. Among Catholics, he lost by 40 points. The cool liberal Harvard Law grad was not a good fit for the socially conservative ethnics of Altoona, Aliquippa and Johnstown. But if Barack had a problem with Catholics then, he has a far higher hurdle to surmount in the fall, with those millions of Catholics who still take their faith and moral code seriously. For not only is Barack the most pro-abortion member of the Senate, with his straight A+ report card from the National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood. He supports the late-term procedure known as partial-birth abortion, where the baby's skull is stabbed with scissors in the birth canal and the brains are sucked out to end its life swiftly and ease passage of the corpse into the pan.

Partial-birth abortion, said the late Sen. Pat Moynihan, "comes as close to infanticide as anything I have seen in our judiciary." Yet, when Congress was voting to ban this terrible form of death for a mature fetus, Michelle Obama was signing fundraising letters pledging that, if elected, Barack would be "tireless" in keeping legal this "legitimate medical procedure." And Barack did not let the militants down. When the Supreme Court upheld the congressional ban on this barbaric procedure, Barack denounced the court for denying "equal rights for women." As David Freddoso reports in his new best-seller, "The Case Against Barack Obama," the Illinois senator goes further than any U.S. senator has dared go in defending what John Paul II called the "culture of death." Thrice in the Illinois legislature, Obama helped block a bill that was designed solely to protect the life of infants already born, and outside the womb, who had miraculously survived the attempt to kill them during an abortion. Thrice, Obama voted to let doctors and nurses allow these tiny human beings die of neglect and be tossed out with the medical waste. How can a man who purports to be a Christian justify this? If, as its advocates contend, abortion has to remain legal to protect the life and health, mental and physical, of the mother, how is a mother's life or health in the least threatened by a baby no longer inside her -- but lying on a table or in a pan fighting for life and breath? How is it essential for the life or health of a woman that her baby, who somehow survived the horrible ordeal of abortion, be left to die or put to death? Yet, that is what Obama voted for, thrice, in the Illinois Senate. When a bill almost identical to the one Barack fought in Illinois, the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, came to the floor of the U.S. Senate in 2001, the vote was 98 to 0 in favor. Barbara Boxer, the most pro-abortion member of the Senate before Barack came, spoke out on its behalf: "Of course, we believe everyone should deserve the protection of this bill. ... Who could be more vulnerable than a newborn baby? So, of course, we agree with that. ... We join with an 'aye' vote on this. I hope it will, in fact, be unanimous." Obama says he opposed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act because he feared it might imperil Roe v. Wade. But if Roe v. Wade did allow infanticide or murder, which is what letting a tiny baby die of neglect or killing it outright amounts to, why would he not want that court decision reviewed and amended to outlaw infanticide? Is the right to an abortion so sacrosanct to Obama that killing by neglect or snuffing out of the life of tiny babies outside the womb must be protected if necessary to preserve that right? Obama is an abortion absolutist. "I could find no instance in his entire career," writes Freddoso, "in which he voted for any regulation or restriction on the practice of abortion."

In 2007, Barack pledged that, in his first act as president, he will sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would cancel every federal, state or local regulation or restriction on abortion. The National Organization for Women says it would abolish all restrictions on government funding of abortion. What we once called God's Country would become the nation on earth most zealously committed to an unrestricted right of abortion from conception to birth.

Before any devout Catholic, Evangelical Christian or Orthodox Jew votes for Obama, he or she might spend 15 minutes in Chapter 10 of Freddoso's "Case Against Barack." For if, as Catholics believe, abortion is the killing of an unborn child, and participation in an abortion entails automatic excommunication, how can a good Catholic support a candidate who will appoint justices to make Roe v. Wade eternal and eliminate all restrictions on a practice Catholics legislators have fought for three decades to curtail? And which Catholic priests and prelates will it be who give invocations at Obama rallies, even as Mother Church fights to save the lives of unborn children whom Obama believes have no right to life and no rights at all?

Early Morning at Big Lake

2008-08-07T22:01:00.002-04:00

Just one additional picture from the backpacking trip. It was so interesting to see the dew in the sun looking almost like frost as the fog hung over the water which was warmer than the air. I was usually the first up and built a fire. It was a great time to be alone with God and talk to Him about the beauty and incredible complexity of His creation. Romans 1 tells us that observing His creation is such a powerful means of God revealing Himself that those who do so and reject Him are without excuse.

Backpacking With "The Twelve"

2008-08-07T20:09:00.020-04:00

I thought I would post a few pictures of our week of backpacking in the U.P. We covered about 50 miles starting at Canyon Falls and ending at Bob Lake following the Sturgeon River Gorge. I still haven't gotten the knack of properly spacing text with pictures, so bear with me.

This is the group ready to leave the rest area down the path that leads to Canyon Falls. My pack started out at 61 pounds with my water bottles full. Somehow I have to get it lighter next time.

This falls is one of several we encountered.

Sometimes the path was a little hard to find in the tall ferns. Shortly before this picture John had decided he didn't want to go on (but he couldn't find his way back).

Chris and I shared a tent. This camping spot was great, with lots of ferns to pad the floor, in spite of the fact that a forest fire had gone through this area.

This is a premier facility when you are doing wilderness backpacking. Notice the fresh air design. If privacy is your chief concern you might note that there is no door. Still, it is a welcome change from an old log and a shovel. You even have a roof, in case it rains.

You may need to click and enlarge to tell that this is Lynn Hazen in the water cooling off after a hard day of hiking. The nice thing is you get to take your shower and wash your clothes at the same time (even the shoes?).

Austin was one of several of us that couldn't resist the deep water and fine diving platform below Sturgeon Falls. The water was relatively warm and fast moving. Pastor Matt said, "This is worth the whole trip."

Why do you use shoes instead of rocks around the campfire?

Well, the sun doesn't always shine when you hike for a week. We only had rain one day, but it was cold, with thunder, lightening and a little hail. The sun came out later and it was very warm and humid.

We camped at the bottom of this canyon, some 320 feet down (I think it was 1200 feet up). It was a beautiful spot with the sound of the waterfall to drown out the snoring.

This is what you do when you lose one contact lens with six days to go. You just use sunglasses with only one lens over the fuzzy eye. Pastor Matt did an outstanding job of focusing us on our response to God's holiness in his devotional time. He led us in some memorable times of prayer together.

This is one example of wildlife that moved slowly enough for me to take a picture. It was not as exciting as the wolves that were howling our first night out or the bear that Melody and Tricia are sure they heard in the night.

There was one point where our "reliable water source" turned out to be an algea infested beaver pond. Our filters did a good job of removing bacteria and parasites and Kool Aide killed the taste. It really makes you appreciate simple things like clean accessible water.

We took a side trip to the top of Silver Mountain on our last full day. The view was fantastic.

Kitch-i-ti-kipi Spring was a refreshing stop on the way home. You can see 45 feet down where 10,000 gallons per minute of crystal clear water provides a home for some huge trout.

Old Testament Artifacts

2008-05-26T23:02:00.006-04:00

This last week I was priveleged to go to the Pastor's Conference at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago along with all of the elders at our church. One of the highlights for me was a workshop that took me to the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. There we saw items that were collected from the Near East going back as far as the time before Abraham.

This Lion was one of two that came from Babylon and was part of a collection that lined the main street of that city when Daniel was thrown into the lion's den. It was quite a thought to realize I was looking at something that Daniel had looked at.

This bust was of Xerxes, the Persian king at the time of Esther. It was done at the time when Esther saved the Jewish people. This is what her husband looked like, according to the artist of the time, and approved by the king himself.

This small clay prism has ancient writing that mentions Hezekiah by one of the contemporary rival kings of the area. Dr. Coakley, who led the tour (the guy shading his eyes), reads many of these ancient languages, and was able to tell us much about this stuff.

There were many other similar items that verify and authenticate the scriptural history, but I won't put all of the pictures here. I just wanted you to share with me this proof of the accuracy of the Bible. To some of you I am sure this would be boring. But to me, seeing a statue of Baal, the false god of Elijah's time that was dug out of the ruins of Ahab' s palace just strengthens my faith.

Our day began each morning at 8:00 with general sessions and continued with a workshop and another general session. The afternoons were other workshops. Evenings we had general sessions followed by late night entertainment, sometimes ending after midnight. So they were full days, but not boring. We had great speakers during the general sessions, like David Jeremiah, Alistair Begg, Al Mohler, Tony Evans and others. The workshops were taught by men like Dr. Coakley and Erwin Lutzer. We had some super meals together where we could discuss the things God was teaching us. I am already anxious to go back next year to hear folks like John Piper and John MacArthur. It was fun to spend time with our pastors and about 1,100 others and worship together.

New Pool Liner

2008-05-13T22:18:00.008-04:00

Some of you have asked how the pool is coming. Here are a few pictures.

The first one is the old liner coming out (Viewed from bottom picture to top).

The next is the empty pool with no liner. You realize how deep the hole is when you walk down there with it empty.

Next is the new liner being installed.

Water is being put in the next one. It is suprising how cloudy city water is before filtering. Yes it is the same stuff we drink every day.

And finally the top picture is when it is filled with water and ready to warm up to swimming temperature. The water was 46 degrees when first put in. It is already up to 58 so it is moving in the right direction. I haven't put the solar cover on yet because I am still getting all the chemicals in balance and vacuuming out the stuff falling off of the trees. Cold rain will keep it from warming a lot but once we get some sunshine it will be ready to swim in no time. Hope to see you all here to visit this summer.

2008-05-07T08:35:00.003-04:00

Psalm 24
1 The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

Psalm 135:6 (NIV)
6 The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
Psalm 135:7 (NIV)
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Acts 14:17 (NIV)
17Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

The global warming alarmists are at odds with Scripture. Evangelicals that have suddenly discovered that man is in charge of the climate and weather have not believed these and many other passages that declare God is in charge.

Environmentalists' Wild PredictionsBy Walter E. WilliamsWednesday, May 7, 2008

Now that another Earth Day has come and gone, let's look at some environmentalist predictions that they would prefer we forget.
At the first Earth Day celebration, in 1969, environmentalist Nigel Calder warned, "The threat of a new ice age must now stand alongside nuclear war as a likely source of wholesale death and misery for mankind." C.C. Wallen of the World Meteorological Organization said, "The cooling since 1940 has been large enough and consistent enough that it will not soon be reversed." In 1968, Professor Paul Ehrlich, Vice President Gore's hero and mentor, predicted there would be a major food shortage in the U.S. and "in the 1970s ... hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death." Ehrlich forecasted that 65 million Americans would die of starvation between 1980 and 1989, and by 1999 the U.S. population would have declined to 22.6 million. Ehrlich's predictions about England were gloomier: "If I were a gambler, I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000."
Children walk around a makeshift globe in a fountain on Earth Day in Zagreb April 22, 2008. REUTERS/Nikola Solic (CROATIA)
Related Media:
VIDEO: Earth Day Tips
VIDEO: Earth Day: Tips on making your house earth friendly
In 1972, a report was written for the Club of Rome warning the world would run out of gold by 1981, mercury and silver by 1985, tin by 1987 and petroleum, copper, lead and natural gas by 1992. Gordon Taylor, in his 1970 book "The Doomsday Book," said Americans were using 50 percent of the world's resources and "by 2000 they [Americans] will, if permitted, be using all of them." In 1975, the Environmental Fund took out full-page ads warning, "The World as we know it will likely be ruined by the year 2000."
Harvard University biologist George Wald in 1970 warned, "... civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind." That was the same year that Sen. Gaylord Nelson warned, in Look Magazine, that by 1995 "... somewhere between 75 and 85 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct."
It's not just latter-day doomsayers who have been wrong; doomsayers have always been wrong. In 1885, the U.S. Geological Survey announced there was "little or no chance" of oil being discovered in California, and a few years later they said the same about Kansas and Texas. In 1939, the U.S. Department of the Interior said American oil supplies would last only another 13 years. In 1949, the Secretary of the Interior said the end of U.S. oil supplies was in sight. Having learned nothing from its earlier erroneous claims, in 1974 the U.S. Geological Survey advised us that the U.S. had only a 10-year supply of natural gas. The fact of the matter, according to the American Gas Association, there's a 1,000 to 2,500 year supply.
Here are my questions: In 1970, when environmentalists were making predictions of manmade global cooling and the threat of an ice age and millions of Americans starving to death, what kind of government policy should we have undertaken to prevent such a calamity? When Ehrlich predicted that England would not exist in the year 2000, what steps should the British Parliament have taken in 1970 to prevent such a dire outcome? In 1939, when the U.S. Department of the Interior warned that we only had oil supplies for another 13 years, what actions should President Roosevelt have taken? Finally, what makes us think that environmental alarmism is any more correct now that they have switched their tune to manmade global warming?
Here are a few facts: Over 95 percent of the greenhouse effect is the result of water vapor in Earth's atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, Earth's average temperature would be zero degrees Fahrenheit. Most climate change is a result of the orbital eccentricities of Earth and variations in the sun's output. On top of that, natural wetlands produce more greenhouse gas contributions annually than all human sources combined.
Dr. Williams serves on the faculty of George Mason University as John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics and is the author of More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well.

Tagged

2008-05-02T08:32:00.002-04:00

5 Things on my "to-do" list-
* Complete picnic area at church - with sandbox and driveway
* Finish reading books I have started
* Get better at playing violin (practice, practice, practice)
* Clean the garage
* Plant the garden-
Snacks I enjoy-
* Fresh fruit
* Raisons and Prunes
* Chocolate
* Warm cookies
* Any kind of pie - any time
things I would do if I was a billionaire-
* Complete the church building
* Travel
* Go back to school (I love to study)
* Buy a house - one with a barn and room to grow some things
* Tithe
5 Bad Habits-
* Chewing the inside of my lips
* Watching too much TV
* Blaming my wife for whatever
* Being critical of others
* Getting frustrated when I lose
Places I've lived-
Saginaw, MI
Chicago, Il
Freerland, MI
Midland, Mi
Grayling, MI-
Five Jobs I've Had
* Picking up rocks in a field for a farmer (50 cents/hr)
* Sorting plumbing parts
* Oiling boxcars for the railroad
* Building houses
* Electrician
Where I was 10 years ago
* Designing power steering hoses (and hating it)
* Thinking I wouldn't retire for 12 more years
* Thinking I might never be a grandpa
* Still had brown hair
* Finising my Master of Science in Administration at Central Michigan

I Won!

2008-05-01T20:17:00.003-04:00

For some reason it takes a bit longer for me to win a new game than what I think it should. I understand the game, but just can't put together a winning strategy. When I got the Europe version of Ticket to Ride I enjoyed it right away. But, as usual, I played about 50 games without winning. Even James IV beat me. Well, I think I have come up with a couple of winning stategies. I have won a few games lately. Last night Christian came over to play some games with us. I am so glad my kids still come home even though they are adults with lives of their own. I won the first two games. The last time we played I won one too. Now the only game that I have never won is called Saint Petersburg. I come close, but never quite seem to win. Maybe I am just getting a little dull as I get older. (This picture is from an earlier game - as you can see, there are still Christmas decorations up)

Pam came up to Saginaw today with Evan. He is starting to fill out and looks different than he did a week ago. He smiles more and holds his head up by himself. It is amazing how they change at this age. She came to visit her Grandma and her sisters, but we got a little time to visit with Evan too. We sure love that little guy. I have to keep reminding Cathy that there are still other things to talk about. She is one totally absorbed Grandma. When she is not taking pictures, she is looking at pictures of Evan. What a blessing to see Pam as the mom she always wanted to be.

A Wonderful Weekend

2008-04-28T18:51:00.002-04:00

This weekend we travelled to Camp Barakel, leaving about noon on Friday. I had committee meetings on Friday afternoon and Saturday was our quarterly board meeting. Our board consists of 10 men who are elected to represent the 40 or so member churches who actually own Camp. I have been priveleged to serve on that board for a number of years and have chaired the board for many of the last several.

On Saturday night of the Spring meeting the board members chip in to treat the Staff of around 30 adults to a night out. This year we went to Garland in Lewiston. This is a very nice golf resort with building made of huge logs. We had a great meal with smoked pork loin, chicken and sides (including salad with anchovies, which were great). The entertainment was provided by Pastor Matt (trumpet), his brother, Craig (tenor and soprano sax) and Sarah Glupker (piano). They had a very professional presentation that started with some jazz numbers and ended with some very worshipful arrangements. Check Amber's blog for pictures. The staff were very pleased with it all.

Sunday morning brought our usual joint worship service. All of the families, including the kids are present. Sarah again presented some special music, one of the Trustees led the singing and another led us in the Lords Table. I had the opportunity to preach. There are few things that I enjoy more. Believe it or not, I preached on the entire book of Romans. Nope, I was done in only about 40 minutes. I noticed Dave Douglas taking a lot of notes. He told me afterward that they would be teaching an overview of Romans to the counselors in a couple of weeks. Isn't great the way God puts things together, even when we have no idea?

We concluded our weekend by eating dinner together in the East Side Dining Hall. We thouroughly enjoyed our conversation with Sarah on the way home. When we reached home there was a message waiting for us. Elaine Shaw, who arranges where we will sleep among other things, had been notified that her father had a heart attack and they were on there way to Lansing. We learned today that he passed away leaving her mother alone. Please pray for them as they make funeral plans and try to decide what is best for her mom. Of course, we taught our usual group of 3rd and 4th graders Sunday night. We used the story of the spies exploring Canaan to teach them about God's faithfulness and His requirement that we have faith in Him. It was a great weekend.

God's Handiwork

2008-04-23T21:08:00.004-04:00

I thought maybe you would enjoy sharing some of the Spring beauty God has provided in our yard. I know the photography doesn't do them justice. I just grabbed a couple of shots with my phone camera while I was out this afternoon. It was hard to see what I really was getting until I downloaded them. I should have been more careful about lighting. Still, I think you can understand why Jesus said, "Consider the lillies..." "even Solomon in all his glory was not adorned as one of these."

Whew!!

2008-04-20T22:29:00.003-04:00

Yikes! This is another project. Our pool developed a leak and lost a lot of water over the winter. The winter cover pulled down into the pool so far that some bricks that were holding it in place fell in and tore the winter cover letting all kinds of filthy water into the pool. I had to drain the pool and clean it before patching and refilling it. Now I have ground water comin up under the lining and I am not sure what to do.

This week I also had to work with the health department and the people who put in our septic system at the church. Some major work needs to be done. But the installer is going to repair most of it for free. I do have to dig up some tile and repair or replace it. I had to spend part of one day working with the folks who service our burglar alarm system. Chris and I worked in the woods on Saturday to drain some of the water that is breeding mosquitoes. In the meantime, I had to set up the baptismal pool and repair a leak that occured in the new pool I bought. I also had a couple of driving jobs for Holy Cross this week. Of course we did take one evening to visit our new grandson Evan. I got the lawn raked and the garden cleared too. Also, I am speaking at Barakel this next Sunday to the staff and Trustees for our annual joint Church service, so I have been preparing for that. It sure is great to be retired. Did I mention that I drove our church lawn mower over to Bader Brothers for repair one mornig? I couple of times I did squeeze in some time to practice piano and violin. I also got some relaxation from reading the paper, your blogs and doing the crossword puzzle each day.

So, that's part of the reason I have not been writing in my blog.

For those of you who have asked, I have lost 31 pounds so far.

2008-04-20T22:10:00.002-04:00

Well, some of you have wondered why I haven't posted anything lately. This is one of my projects. Our bedroom had carpet that was severely faded, dirty and warn. Cathy decided quite a while ago that we should replace it with hardwood flooring. (We in this usage means Phil) When I saw this hickory flooring on sale at Menards I decided to tackle it. Of course that also meant removing the wallpaper, which was faded and pealing. Then we needed to refinish the drywall. We did this by putting a new skim coat on and then sanding the walls. Next we needed to paint the walls. First the primer, then the first coat of the paint that turned out to be too glossy, then resanding, then two finish coats of a flat butter color. Or course before that the ceiling had to be repaired and repainted. While we were working on the ceiling, Cathy decided we needed a new light and fan. The first one (which had a remote control) did not work. That meant it had to be taken down and replaced with another. When I got to the walk-in closet, we decided not to paint the walls. Instead, I lined them with aromatic cedar tongue and groove paneling. Of course I also needed to construct some new shelving. I know it sounds simple, but thats only because I am sparing you all of the other problems (even the new clock radio I bought had to be returned).

I think we are finally finished. It looks great and the closets smell great. We have more room for our clothes. More room in the bedroom too, since we moved some of the furniture out. On to the next project. Stop in sometime when you are in the neighborhood and I will give you a tour.

More pix

2008-03-19T21:32:00.002-04:00

Hannah and James IV got to hold Evan. He likes to put his hands up to his face. They put a little shirt on him that covers his hands because he was scratching his face. He looks different today than yesterday. He seems to really like being held close and being rocked. I noticed that he fits Grandpa's arms perfectly. It doesn't look like it in the pictures, but he has quite a bit of hair. Pam is still kind of puffy but losing some of the fluid buildup and starting to look more like herself. She took a shower and said she felt better than she had in almost 4 months.

2008-03-19T21:20:00.002-04:00

Uncle Chris brought great-grandma Spear down to meet Evan. He also brought along his first Tiger fan bib. Pam said to post some pictures with her in it, even if she didn't look so great. I thought this one fit that criteria. The kids enjoyed meeting their new brother.

A couple more pix from the phone camera

2008-03-18T10:05:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple of more shots I took with my phone camera. I think you can see a little better detail. By the way, the other kids are in school and won't see Evan until after school. Uncle Chris is coming down today. We will probably stay in Hartland for a couple of days - at least until after Pam is home from the hospital and Cathy can help her with the other kids a bit. The hospital here in Howell is small and today Pam was the only one in the birthing center. Praise God for His answer to all your prayers.

Evan Philip Wickman, Welcome to the world.

2008-03-18T09:47:00.002-04:00

After waiting since Sunday afternoon, Evan Philip Wickman made his appearance this morning shortly after 6:00. Cathy and I stayed at the hospital all night. Pam's water broke around noon yesterday and we thought it would be soon after that. 18 hours later Evan still had not come and the cantractions remained about 3 to 6 minutes apart. The Dr. then decided it was time to do a C-section. He is perfect! (Evan, not the Dr.) When I first saw him he was wide eyed, talking and sucking on his fist. He looks like his daddy, James, and was hungry from the start. Pam is doing well, though of course she is sore and tired after all that.

"Cruise" Pix

2008-03-12T10:17:00.004-04:00

Here are a few shots of the "cruise" last Friday night. That was the theme of the mystery dinner theater done at Immanuel Bible Church. The first two involve one of the cruise games and the second are folks at their tables. The dress code was interesting ranging from shorts to suits and tux to kilt (Really! Ask Mike Lippert about sitting in front of everyone on an elevated stage wearing a kilt-I think he got a new appreciation for women in skirts). It was great fun and very relaxing for people of all ages. I hope it can be done again sometime. It was one of those things that make our church such a great place to fellowship. Sorry if you missed it. Tickets were limited. Get yours early next time.

Mops pix

2008-03-12T10:00:00.002-04:00

Just a few pictures of the kids at MOPS. I only get to work with the kids, so no mom pictures. The first two show Kelly Sams teaching the Easter story. She really had their attention with visual aids and participation in a game. That is no easy task when you are working with 3 year olds with an attention span of 3 nanoseconds. The last couple pictures are of the kids' party with a clown while moms and dads had a night out. As you can see, there were different reactions - from fear to hesitancy to fun with the balloons. I really do enjoy working with the kids. This ministry has really taken off and I expect it to keep growing next year. Of course this means we will need more help with the kids. Any volunteers? Thanks to Stephanie and Tracey for having the vision and drive to not only start but perservere in ministry to their "congregation."

Out short-term missionary

2008-03-04T10:10:00.002-05:00

Remember to pray for our friend Sarah Glupker. She leaves tonight to go to Hunduras on a short-term missionary trip. She will be using her medical skills to open the door for the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. I know the heat and physical stress are concerns as well as insufficient medical equipment and medicines to treat folks. Language is also a barrior, but love translates to all the same. Pray that she will reflect the love of Christ.

Good Weekend

2008-03-03T17:29:00.002-05:00

Friday began with me travelling north to Andy Briggs's house in Farwell to prepare it for our elder's retreat. The roads were slippery, it was snowing, and many cars were off the road. When I got there I turned on the heat and found that the water was frozen in the upstairs bathroom. I then went to work to shovel out a path from the road to the house and a spot in the driveway big enough for my van. Actually, I was going to also shovel a spot for Pastor Mark's van but, after four hours of working at it, I gave up. The drive had not been cleared all winter. When I got there the only tracks in the road were the deer tracks. The snow was only 4 inches deep in the road and much easier travel for them than the two to three feet in the woods.

Friday afternoon I went to Jays Sporting Goods in Clare and the military surplus store next door. It was the first time I had all the time I wanted to look at all the cool stuff. Of course I didn't buy anything. Then I went to the Big Boy where I met the other guys for supper. They had an all you can eat seafood buffet. It was my biggest meal since January. I have been trying to get my weight down before summer. So far I'm down 18 pounds.

We met Friday night until late and again all day Saturday. It was a great time to share thoughts, pray with each other, and plan, without a lot of time pressure. It was a very enjoyable experience for all of us.

On Sunday right after Pastor Mark's message from Romans 5 I had the opportunity to meet with a lady who accepted Christ as her personnal Savior. John Glupker and I had met before the service for prayer, as we usually do, and prayed that God would empower Pastor and prepare the hearts of those who heard. He answered as only God can. This lady started driving on the east side of Saginaw looking for a church. She had heard on the radio that she should go to a church that taught the Bible. When she saw our sign (Immanuel Bible Church) she thought, "that must be one of those Bible churches the man was talking about." She came in just in time for the start of the service. She said she didn't know what brought her. I told her I did, that God had directed her. She came very confused as a result of family and several churches she had visited all telling her that she must be good enough to be saved. I was happy to tell her the good news that God has done it all for us through the death of Jesus on the cross. Please pray for her that the Holy Spirit within her will strengthen her against the devil's attacks and that she will grow to Christian maturity.

Sunday night we taught our little class the story of Joseph and how God placed him in a place of ruling the greatest nation on earth. I showed them how the Bible teaches that political leaders are in the positions where they are only because God places them there. In this election year it was a good reminder to me as well.

All in all a great weekend!

2008-02-25T19:42:00.002-05:00

Cathy and Chris and I went to see Pam last Saturday. We had a good time playing games with her while James was involved with a fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce. She looks great! It is less than 2 weeks now until her little guy is introduced to the world. We can hardly wait! I'm sure though that Pam is even more anxious. I am still hoping for him to be born on his due date. Then he can share his birthday with his grandpa Phil, great aunt Sherri Spear and Tommy Veihl. Pam has an unbelievable amount of clothes for the first three months of his life. Between her shower, Grandma Cathy's shopping, and stuff that's been passed on from friends this kid has an outfit for every day of his life for the first 90 days. After that he may be naked, but I doubt it. More likely the Luter's will be broke. I'm already thinking we have to be careful not to let Hannah and James feel left out in all the excitement. It does seem strange at times to think my baby is having a baby. I must say though that we have been waiting a long time for this and praise God for His answer to prayer.

Interesting blog site

2008-02-25T18:52:00.002-05:00

Here is and interesting blog site I ran into. It is found at www.evangelicaloutpost.com/ Another good politically conservative site is The Best of The Web at http://online.wsj.com/article/best_of_the_web_today.html. It reviews several brief articles a day. If you are interested in following the election news a good place to start is either http://www.politico.com/ or http://www.realclearpolitics.com/. There are links in these sites that will lead you to others should you care to read them. You just need to remember that these people write from a point of view and are not neccessarily balanced. Of course one of my favorite starting places for news is http://www.drudgereport.com/. The Detroit News is a good place to keep up with Michigan sports at http://www.detnews.com/.

39 Years and Counting

2008-02-15T09:24:00.002-05:00

February 15, 1969. Yep, that's us. My dad was officiating. It was in the old church at 1734 N. Mason. No, that's not the flower girl and ring bearer. It is nice to look back and see that we haven't changed a bit. It was pretty hard to keep away the tears when I looked up to see Dad's eyes full. One of the lighter moments occured because Cathy had this big hoop in the bottom of her dress that was right against the floor. When we knelt to pray it created a suction and she couldn't stand up.

I was a full time student taking 16 hours at Delta and working full time 40 hours a week. I had mid-term exams the Monday after the Saturday we were married, so, no honeymoon. We did spend our first night at the Holiday Inn on Davenport St. (now the Ramada Inn). It was pretty awkward checking in. I don't think they believed we were married. Then we went back to our mobile home in Midland where we lived for the next 4 years.

In addition to my busy schedule, Cathy was working full time at K-Mart on State St. (now the Horizon Center) and I was constantly getting letters from Selective Service telling me that I was about to be drafted. This of course at the height of the Vietnam War when 300 or so guys were being killed each day. I soon developed stomach ulcers and had to quit work. Talk about pressure! I'm sure our diet wasn't very good. We ate a lot of 38 cent pot pies and 19 cent Kraft macaroni and cheese. We probably could have qualified for some sort of welfare or government assistance but chose not to. It sure was great when one of our parents invited us over for dinner though. I had had jaw broken and only weighed 126 pounds at one point. Everyone always told me I looked skinny and sickly. Another great encouragement. Cathy couldn't cook. I don't mean just that she didn't cook as great as she does now. She could not cook! She once tried to make a meatloaf that was so hard you could drive nails with it. I think she tried to boil an egg and scorched the water. But we made it, praise the Lord.

Tonight we are going out to Red Lobster for dinner. It is one of our favorite places. Someone gave us a gift certificate at Christmas and Cathy has been saving it for today. I have been trying to lose some weight and have been hungry for the last couple of weeks (but down 12 pounds), so I am really looking forward to filling up on some delicious seafood.

tagged - Our story

2008-01-21T21:13:00.000-05:00

Well, Pam says I am tagged. It's a long story that started a long time ago.

I first met Cathy in 1960. She was the cute new girl at church. Though I dated several girls in my teens I kept my eye on her. She didn't think much of me though. She pretty much thought I was a dork. However, her mom liked me a lot (always a good thing.)

Our first date was in 1965 when I took her to a church youth group scavenger hunt. My mom, who didn't know I was dating, called to tell me she needed me to come and pick her up from work. So I took Cathy with me to pick her up in downtown Saginaw and take her home to Freeland then back out to Shields to take Cathy home and back to Freeland. It was a good thing gasoline only cost 26 cents a gallon back then and my 1955 Chevy got pretty good mileage. I started to call her almost every night. Sometimes I would write down topics to talk about so I wouldn't run out of things to say. I would get glasses of water ready because my mouth would get so dry. I should say that I held out and didn't kiss her until the first date. (Turns out she is a great kisser)

After getting my car taken away for coming home late one night, we figured out that if we just stayed at her parents house we didn't get in trouble. We played Rook almost every night. I often played ping pong with her brothers or pool with her dad in the basement. I knew her dad pretty well because he used to take me hunting or fishing almost every weekend for a couple of years. Many times my dad would also come along.

I never really proposed to Cathy. We just started talking about what life would be like after we got married. I think everyone assumed we would marry. Finally I bought a ring for her when she was still a high school student. I asked her dad if I could give it to her or if I needed to wait until after she graduated. He didn't answer and I didn't know what to do. I finally asked her mom. She said he had his chance and to go a ahead and give it to her.

We were married on Feb. 15, 1969 at Immanuel Baptist Church. There were about 400 people at the wedding. I was 19 and Cathy 18 years old. I always say if you want a perfect wife, marry a child and raise her the way you want her to be. She was beautiful and sexy and I was poor and skinny, but we really loved each other and still do. It is hard to believe that in a little over a year we will be married for 40 years. We determined that we would keep our wedding vows and though we have had a few rough spots we just kept falling in love with each other. Even teen-age marriages can succeed if love for each other and love for God are central to the marriage.

We are very proud of the children God has given us and have through the years prayed for them to be faithful in following Him. Though they are not kids any more, they will always be my children and praise God they are His children too. They have brought great joy to our lives. We are thankful that they are our closest friends. We pray that we can be better grandparents than we have been parents.

I could probably add a lot of embarrassing details, but this is long enough. If you're interested, we can talk sometime.

Cristmas, Cradle, and Family

2008-01-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

We had a great Christmas. Pam was with us for more than a week. James IV and Hannah for a long weekend. We ate a lot of junk food (along with lots of good healthy stuff), played a lot of games, stayed up late, and just laid around a bit.

I had my second carpel tunnel surgery on the 21st. This time I had no sickness afterward. They gave me no narcotics (at my request). They were worried I might have too much pain, but I didn't even need an asprin. Praise the Lord.

The day after my surgery I started the cradle seen in the picture. It probably was a little too much, but I felt good. I found a picture of a cradle like this on the internet and thought it would be fun to make for baby Wickman. It is solid red oak and was a really fun project. It swings back and forth with a pin to lock it in place when you don't want it to move. At least now he will have a place to sleep. I got to feel him punching on Pam's tummy while they were here. I can hardly wait to meet him.

Last night we loaded our van with the cradle, a dresser for baby from the Hazens, and a futon that we plan to sleep on when we visit Hartland when the baby is born. It was an interesting trip. They got around 15 inches of snow down there and it snowed all the way down. Pam and James left a bit ahead of us so he had the driveway almost cleared by the time I got there. Their road had not been plowed though. The trip back was much quicker as the snow stopped and salt trucks had been out by then. When I got home there was another 2-3 inches of new snow at our place since we left. Well thats winter in Michigan.

Today Cathy went back to work and it is again very quiet at our house. A little lonely but back to normal.

2007-12-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

Well, I got my stitches out from the surgery on my left hand today. I had very little pain. I am able to use the hand for most everything as long as it doesn't require any grip strength. I found I can still play the piano without pain (except for those who might happen to hear me). I still can't open door knobs or my pill bottles (childproof you know). And of course it is still tender at the site of the incision. It is much better than some had led me to believe it would be. My only concern was that I over-reacted to the anesthesia.

Friday I am scheduled to have the right hand done. They said they may do something called a bear block (I don't know how to spell it). It would deaden the arm but I would still be awake. That way Cathy doesn't have to worry if I am going to wake up or not.

Christmas is coming way too soon. Cathy went out tonight to try to do some more shopping. I don't know how close we are to being done. I just love it when people open their presents and I get to see what I gave them. I only got something for Cathy and James IV (because I was asked). That twenty minutes was enough shopping for another year. I just can't stand the rude, inconsiderate attitude that so many people develop when they are Christmas shopping. I know some people love it. More power to them. I would much rather blow snow. It feels like Christmas and I start to get a little excited about it all when we have a good covering of beautiful white stuff on the ground. I hear we may get a little bit more this next weekend. Hope so.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your Christmas pictures.

My week.

2007-12-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been an interesting week. It started with me having the privelege of baptizing James and Hannah. You can view pictures on Pams blog. They, along with Amy Peck, one of the kids in our Sunday night class, had attended a class on baptism with me previously. Tom Peck baptized his daughter. I appreciate a pastor like Pastor Mark who is humble enough to allow others to participate in this important event. Believe it or not there was at least one person who expressed the opinion that only ordained men should baptize, therefore they felt I was unqualified. I was thrilled to help carry out the great commission, which I believe was meant for all Christians, to go forth and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

On Thursday I had surgery for carpel tunnel syndrome on my left hand. Fortunately, I did not experience the degree of pain that many had warned me about. I am still experiencing a little of the "blahs" from the anesthetic and drugs. I guess I over-react to it. The surgery took less than 10 minutes. It took them 2 1/2 hours to wake me up. Then I feel ill for a couple of days. I am scheduled to have the right hand done on the 21st. I told them the most important thing is that I can hold a fork for Christmas. This morning I woke up with only a slight burning sensation in my left hand. Only the right hand had numbness. That is a good sign. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks I will have full feeling in both hands again.

Wednesdays have been special for me. Our "Time at the table" included seven men ranging in age from 20's to 70s. Most were there every week as we prayed for each other, our friends and relatives, missionaries, church activities etc. We saw many answers to our prayers and offered praise to God. We also studied the book of Ephesians. Next week will be our last meeting this year and the end of that study. Several mentioned how profitable it has been, and that they would like to have continued it. I am sure God has more and better in store for us. If you do not have a small group like this to meet with on a regular basis, you are missing something important in your Christian walk.

I guess I will not be able to participate with the Thursday night volleyball for a while. I have sure appreciated the way these young people have included an old geezer like me. Even though I don't have the flexibility or strength of most of them, the exercise is good for me, and the fellowship is better. It has given me a chance to get to know them better too. Some bring their little kids and they kind of rotate in and out of the game and each of us takes a turn at watching the kids. The level of play is quite a bit higher than last year. Some of those serves could break your nose if you weren't on the ball. I am impressed with the dives, digs, and saves that are sometimes made. It sure makes for a lot of fun.

Twice a month I get to help with the MOPS kids, ages 2-3. It has been exciting to see kids that were with me last year come running in to give a hug to "Uncle Phil" before going on into this year's class. It is tiring to work with 8 or 9 kids for a couple of hours, but very rewarding. It gives the moms valuable time together without kids interupting and allows them to bond with other women with common interest. Several of them who started with MOPS are now attending our church sevices. The kids are getting teaching on their level, which will give them a good start toward Christian education and the games and toys help to teach them to get along with others and prepares them for school. We could sure use some more help. Some of the older workers have said that they don't think they can do it again next year. It is a high energy time for sure. But working with the next generation is the best thing we can do to leave a legacy after we are gone.

I guess once I get started it is hard to stop writing. Just thought I would let you know I am still alive and I read the blogs of several of you on a regular basis. Thanks.

Charles Spurgeon --- “Had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you find yourself. Divine love would have placed you there!”

OhDeer! Oh deer

2007-11-17T17:57:00.000-05:00

Chris and I went for our annual deer hunt Thursday and Friday. On the way out to our hunting spot Thursday I almost hit a big buck with my van. I must have missed it by inches. After hunting all day and seeing nothing (Chris saw four) on Friday we headed back out on Friday. I was just telling Chris that I heard on the radio that one of three Michigan drivers will hit a deer with their car in their lifetime. I of course was quick to mention that I had been driving for 42 years and had managed to miss all of my close encounters. About two minutes later ... you guessed it. Three of them ran in front of us. I got the middle one. It took out my grill and damaged my light assemblies and dented in the radiator. One piece of the grill was embedded in the radiator and I was afraid to pull it out - it might leak. We were only a couple miles from where we hunt. The deer didn't seem too banged up but had a broken hip. I had to shoot it to put it out of its misery. I called the sheriff and he gave me a tag to keep the deer, so I field dressed it and we hunted the rest of the day. Again I saw nothing. Chris saw 13! He saw no antlers, so he couldn't shoot. I had a doe permit, but saw nothing. Saturday I was planning to take little James out for the morning. But, with my van banged up and the fact that I came down with a horrible cold, I decided it best for us to stay home and watch another disaster - the Michigan / Ohio State Game. Hopefully I will get another chance to go before the end of the season.

Whats Happenin'

2007-11-03T11:05:00.000-04:00

Well, I haven't done much blogging lately. Cathy has taken control of my camera, so I don't have it to post pictures at the times when I feel like writing.

I have had several interesting things to keep me busy. I went to Men's Retreat at Camp Barakel with 11 other guys from our church. Tom Harmon was the speaker and was remarkable. The man quotes so much scripture! It certainly gives validity to his message. I then returned to Camp for the fall Trustees meeting. We generally open our meetings with a time of prayer and a brief devotional. After I led the guys in considering the fact that the same God that met Isaiah, Moses, and John and exposed Himself in His glory, we looked at the fact that He now asks us to address Him as "Our Father." Then we decided to kneel as we prayed, something we have not done previously in my 16 years on the board. This resulted in an incredible and moving time of prayer. It was one of those times when you really feel the presence of the Lord. I realized that it was one of those times you simply can not duplicate by following some formula. God simply decides to visit His Spirit in a special way.

I also had to travel downstate to interview a potential candidate for Camp Staff. We then met at Barakel for an Executive Commitee meeting. Then the following week I traveled back to Camp for another meeting concerning a personnel matter. In all I have now made 24 trips to Camp this year. I guess I better keep track of all the mileage for IRS purposes.

Thursday I had a chance to deliver Pam and James' new couch and then go with James to a U of M basketball game. We had a great time, but the game was a blow-out. The final score was something like 80 to 40. Michigan played Ferris State. James had his Ferris shirt and coat on. I wore my new Michigan shirt. James had little to chear about. I didn't want to rub it in, though we both expected Michigan to win. So it was kind of quiet but still fun.

In between, I found time to close my pool. I now realize there is a leak somewhere. I'm not sure what I will do. Also, I had an elders meeting at church and I cleaned the storage shed and tried to winterize some things there. And of course, being "retired" I did some housework too. You know, the usual stuff, like laundry, dishes etc.

This weekend (Thursday - Sunday) the Hazen kids have been at our house. Pastor Mark and Lynn are taking a short romantic vacation to celebrate their anniversary, which was almost two months ago. These kids have always felt like they were an extended part of our family. It has been quite a while since they slept over. We are having a great time. This afternoon we will go to a wedding.

We continue to teach 3rd and 4th graders in the "Creation to Christ" curriculum. Lynn Hazen had come up with some fun ideas to help perk up this time. She has introduced the TNT concept and planned fun nights, like Crazy Hair night and dressing in our team (class room) colors. These kids are at an age where they are eager to learn and still don't "know it all." Still they are a challenge. Just trying to keep it interesting and relevant to them keeps us thinking.

Chris brought some rotted out storm windows over for me to repair. I guess I will be doing that in my spare time. How did I ever find time to go to work? I hope this catches you up a little and proves the old man is still alive.

One of the most exciting days of my life!

2007-10-19T16:50:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was really one of the most exciting days of my life. It is a moment I have waited years to see. I actually saw the image of my new grandson. Pam probably wondered what I was thinking. I really could not talk. I even had a hard time seeing through my tears. Here was a little 10 ounce baby boy residing in the abdomen of my baby girl. I saw him stretch and yawn and kick his little feet. I even saw that important little part that gave away his manhood. I don't know exactly what it is that brings such emotion at seeing the offspring of your offspring but it certainly does.

As I watched that little child, not yet ready to face the world, I could not help but think of the 60 million or so that have had their lives snuffed out, in this country alone, since my children were born. I wondered why God has not exercised His awesome power to put an end to it. I wondered why Christians have not done more. I wondered if we don't face his judgement yet.

My mind has never really wrapped around the idea that this baby would be anything but a boy. Whenever I thought of him I always thought of him doing "boy stuff" with me. I hope I am not too old to do the the kind of things he likes when he is a teenager. I started thinking right away of what I could make or buy for him that would help him remember his grandfather.

When we got back to the house, James showed me a project he had done for school. One of the things he had to do was draw or paste a picture of his best friend. Wow! Tears again! There I was in the picture with him. What a responsibility and motivator. I hope I can always live up to what these kids think I am. I love them all so much, and am thankful to be a small part of their lives.

Pray for the Schraugers

2007-10-03T16:35:00.000-04:00

Please be in prayer for our friends, Cliff and Vicki Schrauger. Their son David was wounded in Iraq earlier this year. He remains in the army hospital in Texax recovering from wounds from a roadside bomb. Cliff has been unemployed, partly due to time missed from work visiting with his son. They lost their house to foreclosure a few months ago.

This last weekend their two youngest sons (ages 14 and 17) died in a Car crash. The funeral is Thursday at Lake Orion High School. The Army is planning to fly David back to the funeral in a medical helicopter and then back to Texas.

Cliff is the former Camp Pastor for Camp Barakel. He has spoken at our church several times. He is a dear friend.

I don't know how this family is dealing with all this, but they certainly need our prayers. I plan to travel down for the funeral Thursday. Please pray that I may somehow be able to minister to them.

I am reminded of Job when I think of this family. Pray that their faith will remain as strong as Jobs. Pray for God's grace and strength.

Huckabee for President

2007-09-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

I don.t usually use this site for political activity. However, I think each of you who read this shoud take a little time to give Mike Huckabee some consideration for the next president. He is a born again Christian who has served as both a Baptist pastor and the Governor of Arkansas. He was elected by the greatest majority of any Republican in the state's history. It think if you will examine closely his views vs. that of the other candidates you will find that you agree on more issues than with any other announced candidate.

The mainstream media continue to write Gov. Huckabee off by calling him a second tier candidate while he continues to move up in the polls as folks learn what he stands for and how articulately he expresses those beliefs. I don't know what his ultimate chances are to succeed in his run for the White House but I believe if we support those who endorse our point of view the other candidates will take notice also. I think it is a total cop out to support any candidate just because we are told they have a better chance to win.

Why don't you check out his web site at mikehuckabee.com for yourself and let me know what you think?

Teacher

2007-09-21T00:23:00.000-04:00

While Lyle McAuley has been in Virginia, I have had the opportunity to teach Algebra I and Algebra II for him. It has been interesting. Cathy would tell you I have always sort of wanted to be a teacher, although math would certainly not be my first choice of subjects. I would love to teach a Bible class or social studies. I do enjoy my Sunday night class of 3rd and 4th graders. Cathy and I have about 8 to start. We thought that we might be down a bit since the 5th graders moved up, but so far our table has been full. I get to teach "Creation to Christ" a series that takes two years and puts the story of the Bible together from Genesis to the early part of the church in Acts. I think many of these kids will have a better idea of how the Bible story fits together than their parents. In fact, I would like to teach this to adults.

We have settled down from our two weeks of vacation and one weekend of Grandparents Camp at Barakel. We finally cleaned and put away the camper today. Next week, Cathy's sister, Robin and her husband, Jim will be coming from Denver for a visit. We are looking forward to it. They offered to take us to a Tiger game when they came (and bought the tickets). At the time the Tigers looked like they were a lock to win the division. Oh well, we will have fun anyway. Jim is originally from Detroit and a big sports fan. I think Cathy is looking forward to seeing her favorite, Maglio Ordonez. He has lots more hair than Kara and it is curly, but leads the league in batting.

We have a picture of our new grandchild on the refrigerator (ultrasound). I just realized that we are about half way to meeting him or her. Wow, the time is going fast - unless you are the mother getting sick all the time. I talked to Sarah Glupker last night and she was sure excited about seeing her little nephew. It made me anxious to hear her talk about cuddling with him.

Some relaxed at the Picnic

2007-08-16T23:03:00.001-04:00

Not evryone has the energy to play games in the heat and humidity. Some just sat and talked or had a glass of water together. Doesn't Jackson (in the striped shirt) look like a little Matt Beery? It is good to see Rachel being a little helper to the younger ones. Babys got to know each other a little better on the blanket while moms chatted. The location of our picnic stuff is perfect for the late afternoon shadows from the woods. It looks good to see the grass green too. It was a lot of work getting it from a weedy, overgrown farm field to a great play area. In the future we are planning a sand box and improvements to the road, but are waiting for Consumers Power to finish a project along our north line. They have been using our pavillion for lunch and are busy packing down the road with their heavy equipment.

Picnic Fun

2007-08-16T22:52:00.000-04:00

We had a great time at the church picnic Sunday night. It was encouraging to see all the young families with oodles of kids. Whose kid is that on the pole? Even the squirrels can't climb like that! Abby sure seems to be loving her mom. There were activities for everyone and people stayed until almost dark. This was the first one that I got to stay at until the end. Our other picnics have been every other Sunday through the summer. I have had to leave early to ride my motorcyle up to Camp Barakel so I could be ready to drive bus at 6:30 AM on Mondays.

Cathy's Flowers

2007-08-15T11:42:00.001-04:00

Since she won't get her own blog, I am publishing these pictures of some of Cathy's flowers for her. The backyard is like one big garden right now. It's hard to leave for vacation when it is so beautiful right here.

Vacation Preview

2007-08-15T11:33:00.000-04:00

We took the boat out to try it out before vacation. The kids had a great time catching minnows in the net. I guess I'll have to plan on that as an activity for our vacation the next two weeks. I also thought I should include a picture of James ("Grace") Wickman entering the boat. He may have to work on that technique. We are really looking forward to hiking, canoeing, boating, tubing, water skiing, swimming, snorkling, playing games, cooking over the fire, reading books - Wow! all that and more in just two weeks?

Gecko from Florida

2007-08-04T01:50:00.000-04:00

When we were unloading the truck with Pator Matt's stuff a little lizard came out the door. I tried to keep it alive to give to James IV. I could not figure out what to feed it. It was only about an inch long. Every bug I caught for it was too big, except an ant. He finally died today before I could take to James.

Steve DeLong looked at my laptop today and said the hard drive is OK. The problem seems to be that Windows is corrupted. I am looking for a disk to try to reload it. I think one came with the computer, but I can't seem to find it. I hope that is all it is. I would love to at least back-up some of my files, especially the pictures. I know, I'm supposed to be doing that on a regular basis. Does anybody else? I'm always going to do it later.

Cathy is always taking pictures and telling me to put them on my blog. We need to get her to start one of her own. She can then do what she wants with it.

We are planning on taking our boat down to Pam and James' tomorrow. Believe it or not, this is the first time we will have used it this year. Before I retired I used to have time to do such stuff. Guess I am going to have to learn to say no. People always think I must have lots of time since I am retired. Actually, I swam in my pool for the first time this week today. Everyone else has been using it while I have been busy at Camp or church or whatever. That's sad considering it has been in the 90's. Still, I enjoy being busy, and am glad I have opportunity to serve the Lord.

Busy, but happy

2007-07-31T08:33:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been a busy and exciting week for me. I drive the Barakel bus on Mondays and Tuesdays. That means I ride my motorcycle up on Sunday Night and stay over. On Thursday, I flew to Orlando, Fl. Chris came on a later flight. We drove from 7:30 AM until 10:30 PM with stops only for gas, food, and rest areas. We stayed overnight at our good friends, the Wylies, in Tennessee. On Saturday we drove from 8:30 AM until - well, it was around 10:15 by the time I got to my house. On Sunday night I started my driving for Camp again. It seems like I have been living on the road (about 2200 miles in one week). We are happy that Matt and Amber and their two little ones are now part of our church family.

One trip I particularly enjoyed was on Monday night, when we went down to Pam's house for Hannah's birthday. I didn't know it when I left but it turned out to be a day I have waited for years to see. Pam waited until the kids were it bed to tell us she is expecting a baby. Wow! Just writing it brings tears to my eyes. I can hardly wait. Did I mention the tentative due date is my birthday? I hope I don't need to get another job to support Grandma Cathy's baby buying. She has always enjoyed buying gifts for other people's babies. I don't know what will happen now (but I have a good idea).

Just one other note. I learned that the Wiley's grandson, Christopher, was saved at Camp this summer. I got to talk to his counselor, Dan Nelson, on Monday. He was happy to hear that he had told his grandparents about it. This stuff makes all the driving worthwhile.

Eventually I will get around to posting some more pictures. I haven't been home much to do anything.

Quick trip - Long drive

2007-07-25T22:31:00.000-04:00

Well, my laptop is broken again. This time it looks like it may be the hard drive. I guess I will just have to try working on the old desktop.

Tomorrow Chris and I fly to Orlando, Florida to drive back with Pastor Matt and his two cars and a moving van. Pray for Chris. He has to take a later flight and probably will only get about 5 hours sleep. It will be two days of about 12 hours a day. Pray for safety and that the Lord will keep us awake. We should be back sometime Saturday night.

A new pastor for Immanuel

2007-07-03T09:28:00.000-04:00

Matt Beery and his wife Amber have accepted a position as Associate Pastor of Immanuel Bible Church after a 95% positive vote. They have already done some house hunting in Saginaw. They may arrive here as early as the end of July. We are very excited about Matt and Amber. They are graduates of Moody Bible Institute and Matt is a graduate of Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary. Matt has most recently been a teacher of Bible and Theology at a large Christian Academy in Orlando Florida. They have a condominium to sell in Florida. They have 2 small children, Jackson and Reece. Amber works on-line from home as an editor for publications by Cornerstone College in Grand Rapids, Mi., as well as being a housewife and mother.

Matt's responsibilities are defined very generally as promoting worship and descipleship, helping to administrate programs and activities and generally to help Pastor Mark with the duties of pastoring the church. He will most likely be used most immediately in strengthening our youth department and Christian Education. This was identified by the elders as our area of greatest immediate weekness. As this is reevaluated from time to time we may identify other areas which will require greater priority. Matt is very capable. He has experience as an associate pastor, has revamped the Bible curriculum at his school and successfully mentored individual members of his classes. They are a very friendly and likeable couple who should fit in well with our young married couples, and work well with all ages. Amber has expressed excitement about involvement with MOPS.

Pray with us that God will use these folks to glorify Himself in our congregation and in thanking God for this gift.

Friends at the pool

2007-06-30T20:19:00.000-04:00

<:AtomicElement>

<:AtomicElement>We have always enjoyed having friends at our pool in the summer. I'm sorry Kara, but it just looked like you were missing out on the fun. Sometimes I just get carried away trying to help people enjoy the water. I'm hoping that the weather will be good and we can have a good group on the 8th after Ben preaches at Immanuel. It would seem like old times. Sorry Jenny and Josh. You are welcome to come too, but it would be a long trip.

<:AtomicElement>

<:AtomicElement>I know I have added a lot of posts at the same time. I guess this is the first time I have sat down long enough to do it since my laptop got fixed. Just pretend they were done on different days.

2007-06-30T20:10:00.000-04:00

Just a few more shots of our backpacking trip. Under the docks turned out to be a good place to hunt frogs and snails - some as big as golf balls. Hannah seemed a little more brave about actually grabbing a frog with her bare hands. James found that you could get frogs to bite grass that had a small seed at the end. While the kids were still asleep I heard cayotes and turkeys and we saw plenty of deer tracks. However the kids probably were a little loud to actually see them up close. We only stayed for 24 hours, which was probably about the right amount of time considering the age of the participants (mine especially).

Backpacking with Pappy

2007-06-30T19:57:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures from our backpacking trip. The three of us went to Reid Lake Foot Travel Area in the Huron National Forest. We hiked back into the woods about twenty minutes and camped near a small lake. It was great for climbing trees, poking the fire and catching frogs. James learned he could catch one on a rubber ant lure with his fishing pole. I had to unhook its tongue from the lure. Yuk! The kids carried their own backpacks with their sleeping bags, pillows and a few other small items. I got to carry the tent, food, extra clothes and everything else. I did manage to catch a few fish, but the kids didn't have any luck.

Spring Fishing

2007-06-30T19:42:00.000-04:00

Just a few pics from our spring fishing trip to the Schwannecke pond. All winter James kept asking to go. Fortunately we did catch some nice largemouth bass using our rubber worms. It was great fun for the kids and a lot of fun for Pappy too. The fish were easy to catch, good fighters and they had some nice size. It is a great place for kids to fish since they can stand on the shore and walk around. Thanks Kurt.

Here I go again

2007-06-14T22:07:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally got my computer fixed. Today we went to Hannah's picnic where we watched her sack race and twirled a jump-rope for kids for about an hour. Thought your might also like to see the fellow I met at Ethan Sam's open house. It occurs to me that some of you are probably too young to know that the "graduate" in the picture is Elvis. (Elvis has now left the building).

Help

2007-05-19T23:41:00.000-04:00

My lap-top computer is down and I am having a lot of trouble trying to use my desktop. I can't seem to write comments to anyone's blog. I just get an hourglass that stays on the screen until I go to some other site. The same thing seems to happen if I try to load a picture. Any ideas out there? I continue to enjoy reading everyone'b blog - just can't comment. Since I can't read my own blog's comments try replying to my e-mail. By the way, I will be in Chicago next week and since my notebook is down I may not have access to e-mail until I get back.

Pistons!

2007-04-23T22:51:00.000-04:00

Chris and James helped me enjoy the Detroit Pistons tickets they gave me for my birthday. We had great center court seats with a good view of both ends. The most exciting thing may have been the introductions. Those flames were so big we could feel the heat from them. Since they had already cinched a playoff spot, they decided to only play the starters the first quarter and rest them. They lost the game. But I guess their strategy worked because they won the first two playoff games easily. Go Pistons!

Flowers

2007-04-23T22:25:00.000-04:00

Just a couple pictures of our spring flowers to show Kara. Our trees are just starting to bloom. Maybe I can get a couple shots later.