Happy New Year

We are back in Lebanon -- arrived about 4:45. Yesterday I didn't have internet access but I prepared the following comments.

Happy New Year from Grants Pass. Actually, that is confusing because I am in GP while I write this but will be in Lebanon when I post it. Does that make sense? Never mind. It doesn’t matter anyway. We drove down to GP Sunday after church with a stop in Springfield for lunch with Jack and Luwayne (Joyce’s brother and sis-in-law) and their daughter Kelly (we love her!!!) and her NEW husband (now we love him!). His name is Brian; they were married in August and we couldn’t attend the wedding because of Fir Point camp commitments and Lebanon FM Church commitments. Commitments sure mess up the free spirit of doing whatever you want whenever you want!!! (There must be a sermon in there somewhere).

When we got to Grants Pass, I knew we wouldn’t have water (refer to the blog a couple weeks ago). But I did have time to mess with the system a little and discovered a broken pipe at the wellhead. If a problem can be easy and the fix simple, this was it. The pipe was at the top, easy to get to, easy to repair, and only cost about ten bucks. By noon on Monday we had water. I have run a lot errands will here – mostly just catch up stuff that accumulates and then has to happen all in two or three days.

I went to Bluestone Bakery this morning (Tuesday) for coffee and breakfast – but mostly because they have a free WiFi. I got my email and responded to some of them. While I was there it started to snow. It snowed almost all day, sometimes barely, sometimes in big, wet flakes. Late in the afternoon it started sticking just a little bit. Then turned to rain. I just heard on the radio that our high was 35*. If it turns cold tonight, we are in trouble because of all the moisture on the ground.

While home I made a couple “pastoral” calls, checked on the Nazarene Church as the renters of the Allen Creek building, and attended the Tuesday evening Bible Study of the Deaf Fellowship. I finished cleaning the gutters – that project was started a couple weeks ago but was cut short when Joyce discovered we didn’t have water. Tomorrow, I’ll put some insulation in the well house and Joyce and I will clean the upstairs storeroom at Allen Creek. This is mostly because it was left in such a mess we are embarrassed by it and we’re afraid if someone else cleans it, some good stuff will be trashed.

Then we’ll drive to our Lebanon home. I don’t have TV here and there are football games I’m missing!!! A big One is cOming up January One. Can’t miss that One. Go Ducks.

Merry Christmas

The days around Christmas are always filled with so many things different from the other days of the year. Last week during the day we simply did a lot -- well, not a lot, just some -- of the usual office and church stuff. However the evenings were different. Wednesday Family Night was out at Dave and Leanne's. They have a barn with a couple sheep and a couple alpacas, lots of hay, and typical barn stuff. So we all went on a field trip. The kids fed the animals and Trevor told the Christmas story while we stood around in a "manger-like" setting. Then we went into the garage where Leanne had set up hot chocolate and cookies. It was laid back and fun. It wasn't real cold and didn't even rain on us.

Thursday evening, Joyce and I went out to Kay and Fran's house for dinner. We have been there before and she is a good cook. And she made cherry pie! Ummm. Good. Friday was my birthday and Joyce said I could do whatever I wanted!!! So we drove to Independence and Dallas (about 40 miles away) to look at some duplexes for sale (look from the outside). The area is fine, but the houses weren't. My niece, Kandy, lives in Dallas so we called her and had lunch together. Nice day, but it wasn't over.

That evening was the annual Church Christmas Party. We expected about 35 and close to 45 came. It was one of those gift exchange parties where everyone draws a number to determine in which order they get to choose a gift. Number one goes first, number two gets to take number one's gift or get his own from under the tree. Number three gets to choose from either one or two's gift or from the tree. Etc. It gets interesting when there are a bunch of  people with gifts. The person whose number is up, takes a gift from someone, then that person takes a gift from someone else, who takes a gift from someone, etc. There is a 20-second time limit on this. The person left without a gift goes to the tree. Anyway, it's a lot of fun. Joyce brought out a Birthday Pie for me (cherry, of course) -- covered with candles. Looked like a bonfire.

Saturday Shanette graduated from George Fox University. Shanette is our co-pastor's wife and she is also our Associate Pastor, if you don't recognize her name. So we went to the graduation in Newberg -- about 70 miles away. It was interesting and not very long since it was the December graduation. After, we were supposed to go for dinner at Trevor's mom's house. But Ginger wasn't feeling well so went to check on her. She is fine but we went out and did some grocery shopping for her and brought home Chinese for dinner.

All three of preached Sunday. Trevor spoke about Joseph, Shanette talked about Mary, I presented Jesus and that led into Communion. I think it was a good day. This coming Sunday I preach using the Wise Men (or Magi) as my theme.

We will spend Christmas Eve with Ginger and her clients at what they call "Christmas Camp" at the Shilo Inn in Salem. Joyce will help with craft and I'll hang around in the hot tub. I'll tell you more about Christmas Camp in my next blog. Speaking of which... I don't when that will be posted. We are going to Grants Pass after church Sunday. I have to find out why we don't have any water. There are a few things I can try, then I'll call a pump man if necessary. I think we'll be there until Wednesday or Thursday. I don't have internet connection at our GP home now so I'll have to find a WiFi spot to even check my email. Oh yes, and to blog, of course!

So... Joyce and I wish you the best of Christmases. Have a really great day. And don't forget the reason we even have a Christmas is that there was a Christ. So include him. Thanks. Merry Christmas.

LA For A Weekend

I feel like some kind of jet setter or something: "Hey, let's fly to Los Angeles for the weekend." "Okay, let's go." Well, that's us. Sorta. The trip to LA was planned a couple months ago and the only way we could do this was because Allegiant Airlines has cheap (really cheap!) prices from Medford to LA. Oh… and back to Medford also -- that's somewhat important. The reason for all of this is that Josiah was in a community production of the Wizard of Oz. He was one of 3 guys in the Lollipop Guild in Munchkinland. He didn’t have a speaking part but grandpa and grandma just had to see his debut as an actor. He did very well and the whole production was great. The weather was rainy and cold (by southern California standards) but the weekend was terrific.

Ginger drove down to Lebanon Thursday and we all went on down to Grants Pass. Friday we drove to Medford, caught the plane and two hours later we were with Josiah and Lilly. Today (Monday) we flew back and drove back to Lebanon. But a lot happened during that time. I have pictures of the family but perhaps I should have a picture of the lack of water we had at our house in Grants Pass. We have had real cold weather – 9* in Lebanon, 15* in Grants Pass. I don’t know if our system froze up or what. We stopped today to check – it has warmed up to the low 40s. Still no water. So we locked the house and left. Deal with it later.

Friday with no water (we bummed a couple buckets full from the neighbor to wash up and flush the toilet) I went to McDonalds for coffee and a McMuffin. While I was eating, it started to rain. Remember, the temperature is about 20* -- that means freezing rain – on the roads – slick – we’re supposed to drive to Medford in an hour. So we left immediately. We made it okay but learned that later it was really bad with lots of accidents.

In LA, it was a whirlwind of activity. Jana had our time planned perfectly. We saw Josiah’s play Saturday afternoon. The brag pictures are below. Ginger and I took Lilly to see “The Princess and the Frog” because she likes princesses. Bad idea. Actually, she enjoyed it. But it is very heavy into voodoo and spells and magic charms, etc. All of that went right by her fortunately.

We celebrated Ginger’s and my birthdays. We celebrated Christmas. We went out to eat all the time (except for two meals). We attended church. Lilly attended a birthday party. We all shopped. And of course the play. All of that in 2 ½ days. It was great.

Now for the week ahead. Enjoy the pictures.

In the top picture, Josiah is the one in the center in the red pants. The girl in back on the right is Dorothy. She has her arm around Toto. Kind of cute -- he was played by a small child. In the bottom picture, Josiah is on the end in the front row. This was a cast picture.

Our LA family!

For the last two years Joyce and I have given gifts in the names of Josiah and Lilly. Last year it was goats and rabbits to help the underprivileged in Kenya. This year we gave 2 dozen chickens to families in Cambodia. We did this through Samaritian's Purse. I wrote a story about some children in those countries receiving the gifts and what it means to them. I print it as a simple book, with pictures, a map, and a picture of the national flag. Here Josiah is reading the story while Lilly is playing with a toy chick -- something to help them remember. The purpose is to help them become aware of needs in other parts of the world.

Ginger and Lilly

Party Animals

Just a short blog to brag about the Oregon Ducks winning the Civil War over Oregon State. Oregon goes to the Rose Bowl to beat up on Ohio, January 1. Joyce and I went to the Pastor's Christmas party Friday evening sponsored by the Oregon Conference. It was really very good -- good food, good atmosphere. We stayed all night at Ginger's, did some work on her house, then went to her office party Saturday evening. We're really party animals, we are. Especially if we can be home by 9:00!!!

Of course, lots of church work last week. Shanette preached Sunday and did a great job. Her task was to focus on the shepherds and she handled it well. This coming week we get to go to LA for a few days. More about that in the next blog -- which might not post until Tuesday.

Short. Sweet. So have a sweet week.

How About A Photo Album?

Happy Thanksgiving (a little belated) and Happy Advent (today is the first Sunday thereof). Joyce and I drove to JoAnn's in Stayton for our dinner. Joyce cooked the turkey, we put it in a cooler (I guess, warmer, in this case) and it was great. She only lives about 40 minutes away. We left there early and drove to Betty's (my niece) in Creswell -- just south of Eugene. My sisters were there plus my nephew and wife. We visited for awhile, eat pie, and left for home.

It seems this was a busy week but we really didn't do much. I preached today because Trevor and Shanette were gone all week visiting family. But the Christmas season is here and I'm glad. I love it.

Oh, one other note of information. The Oregon Conference has rented the Allen Creek Church building to the Church of the Nazarene. In addition, the Rogue Valley Christian Deaf Fellowship is using it. 'Nough said on that subject.

Enjoy the pictures.

On the Girls Day Out in Redmond last fall -- Beth, JoAnn, Joyce

Last fall we had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs. Yes, the fire was hot!

The day I preached about taking off the access baggage so we can better run the race of life

My sister, Beth, feeding the ducks behind our house. They still come up looking for her.

Some of the people we packed into our house for the "Old Friends" potluck the last time we were in Grants Pass.

My two sisters and myself on Thanksgiving -- Doris and Beth

Our church Thanksgiving Tree. Written on the leaves are notes of things our people are thankful for. The tree is baren as I write this but tune in again the end of December to see what it will look like.

Rather Hum-drum

Honestly, I don't feel like blogging. This has been a good week but not much of interest to write about. Tuesday we -- the we being Trevor, Shanette, Joyce, and I -- spent all day at a pastor's conference in Salem. It was okay. We had our staff meeting on Thursday. We are trying to call it a Team Meeting but sometimes I forget. The last few weeks we have met in the Lebanon Coffee House. It is in the middle of downtown Lebanon -- the old part of town. It is actually an old hotel the owners are renovating and setting up for meeting rooms, etc. We are meeting there to try to have a more visible presence in the community. The picture above is taken there last Thursday. I don't think I have posted a picture of Trevor and Shanette so I thought I better take the opportunity to do it. This who we work with. They are great -- and a lot of fun.

The reason I don't feel like blogging is that the closing of the Grants Pass church is bothering me. I'll be okay but it is still hard to internalize. If I had left a small, dysfunctional church that would be different. But it wasn't. It was strong, financially stable, lots of good people, and ready to go to the next level. Not the zero level! Anyway, I'll be okay but it will take awhile and it is hard to keep upbeat.

I preached this morning. I love preaching and the people at this church, so it was easy to put all this other stuff aside and forget it for awhile. My sermon was on being grateful -- and as often happens, the preacher preaches to himself.

So have a good week. I intend to. Happy Thanksgiving.

Lots of Good Things; One Bad

This has been a fun week. So many blessings. So many good things. But I suppose we just as well begin with the bad. Let's get it out of the way and conclude with the good stuff. The bad: today was the last Sunday for Allen Creek Church! Their numbers had dwindled; their finances disappeared; so a couple weeks ago they voted to disband. Bummer. Well, worse than that but I don't use that kind of language. How do I feel about this? I am hurt, angry, and troubled. And we better leave it at that. However, on the positive side, there is a plan to replant the church. Time will tell if that really happens. There is also a possibility of keeping the church open with the remnant that is left plus others that will come back. I know a man who will go in and be the pastor. But there are a lot of details to work out and this might not be a realistic possibility. I know a lot of people who read this blog believe in prayer. Please pray.

Now let's focus on the good stuff. Wednesday we drove to Grants Pass stopping at the hospital in Eugene to visit a former Allen Creek lady who was having surgery. In Grants Pass we cleaned up the yard and took a trailer load of garden and yard debris to Jo-Gro. Friday evening we had a potluck dinner party with the "old gang" from Allen Creek. We crammed 18 people into our house. It was crowded but lots of fun. Many of us (them) had not seen one another for several years. The love flowed freely. Such good friends. We shared a lot through the years. Everyone wanted to get together again so maybe we'll meet in the spring. We returned to Lebanon Saturday.

Last night we set up the worship area with the tables for the Thanksgiving Dinner. Twelve round tables with 7 chairs each. Of course this meant that for worship this morning everyone sat around the tables. There were a lot of comments that we are pushing them out of their comfort zones (we are) but no one really complained. In fact a few people liked it. We noticed there was a lot more visiting before worship began.

Tonight was the potluck Thanksgiving Dinner. Great decorations with candles. Great food. We thought we had a good count on how many people were coming -- but they kept coming, and coming. We were set up for 84 and could crowd a few more chairs in. Well, we kept setting up more and more tables; card tables, old beat up tables, tables from I-don't-know-where. The final tally was 112 -- give or take a few. We did two things for entertainment or "program." One was to have each table find the best Thanksgiving story and then one person share that with the entire group. That was pretty good but a lot of people don't like to speak publicly. The other thing was loads of fun. We found a short play on the internet and did it. It was real simple; very few props. Funny. Basically, people were calling in to the radio program, "The Testimony Show." Except their "testimonies" were tales of illness and calamity. The host wept and hammed it up and had a hard time handling it. Finally someone called in and told what a real testimony was (that was me). It was simple and fun. The lady who played the host was really good -- really, really good.

So we came home a little while ago tired and worn out and happy (except for the ACNC thing). And so it goes.

We're Okay

I had a really good nap this afternoon. Probably won't sleep well tonight but the nap was great. This morning at church we had Katie Bartlett as our speaker. If you remember back 11 months, I mentioned one of our missionaries was killed in an auto accident in Malawi, Africa. Katie, his wife, has gone through a year of grief, soul searching, and wondering about the future. In the last couple months it has been confirmed to her that she should return to Malawi as a missionary. She will have a special ministry to wives. So we invited her to come to our church to tell what has been happening and what will happen. And to raise support. Really excellent presentation. You should meet her.

Tuesday evening was a special time. Ron in our church, invited me to go with him to a dinner and program for veterans presented by the 5th graders at a local school. It is a study project whereby the students interview local veterans, research the meaning of words, study subjects such as our flag, constitution, honor, citizenship, etc. Then they presented these things in a fast-paced program and dinner. The students take orders for drinks, serve the dinner, and in general wait on the veterans. It was a great evening but you could see how valuable it was as a teaching project. I'm sure the kids learned a lot.

The two big things this week were the funeral I mentioned in the last blog and a Conference board retreat. The funeral was Tuesday. It was big but very positive. In that respect, it was an easy service but a long day. The lady was a long-time member of this church and, in her younger years, a hard worker here.

The board retreat was Friday evening and Saturday morning. We had never before done anything like this. The Board of Ministerial Education and Guidance, the Ministry Resource Team, and the Leadership Council met together with the Bishop as our facilitator. It was a good chance for our three boards to interact, pray together, and listen to the bishop give us some direction to make our work more effective.

It rained yesterday -- it rained hard! Sort of rained on the UofO's big parade before the nation, too. It seems they are so good at doing well, getting the attention of the nation, getting a good BCS ranking, then blowing it the next week. If you like football, you know what I'm taking abut. If you don't, ignore this.

But be careful who you ignore. Recently I've heard of numerous situations where people felt they were ignored (i.e. not welcomed) in church, in a group setting, or with those who should have been friends. It doesn't take much effort to smile and say "hi."

:) Hi!

I'm Tired

Whew! I'm tired and the week is just about to begin. We have been hammered with funerals. The Lord has decided to take his people home. Four weeks ago was Jim's graveside service. He died suddenly after having open heart surgery. Last Thursday we had Phil's memorial at the church. This coming Tuesday we will have Erma's memorial. I haven't been in charge of all of these but it has entailed visiting with the families and being at the service. In fact, a former pastor officiated at Phil's service but I was there and it involved the entire day -- getting things set up, visiting people, the service itself, the committal in the cemetery, the luncheon afterward, and finally cleaning up. Joyce and went home and crashed!! Trevor and I are conducting Erma's service Tuesday and I'll meet with the family tomorrow and then do the preparation.

Each of these, plus a service a couple months ago, have involved our people preparing food for either the luncheon or for the family while the person was ill -- or both. I think our ladies just automatically prepare an extra dish when they go into the kitchen to prepare a meal.

I'm not complaining. This is all part of pastoral ministry. But I'm still tired. Usually this many deaths are spread out over several months -- or years. I think I had about 1 funeral a year in Grants Pass. I do have to add, these last two folks who died had been in poor health for several weeks or longer. And we have one more lady who is not expected to live very long. Oh, well.

Friday we went into Salem and looked at lots -- building lots, that is -- as in pieces of property to build a house on. We found one really nice, large one in a not-so-good neighborhood and another nice one but at a pretty high price. We'll keep looking. In the evening we had dinner with Ginger and two of her friends, Debbie & Steve, at the Macedonian Restaurant in Salem. It's really nice with a Greek theme -- of course.

Well, it's easy to see what has taken up most my time. Joyce is right in there with me on most of this. Thursday she helped in the kitchen for 6 hours and did a craft for the Family Night kids party. Today I preached then had a Board meeting after the worship. And so it goes... and goes... and goes... goes.

A (Retired) Pastor's Week

I guess this was a typical pastor's week. Since I am also the secretary one or two days each week, I did that kind of stuff -- making a new attendance roster, checking email, making an insert for the worship folder, talking with a lot of people who stopped by, answering the phone, etc. Wednesday we were waiting for Trevor so we could start our team meeting when we learned that a man in the church had died. He had terminal cancer but it was expected that he would live another 5 or 6 months so this came as a shock. Shanette and I went over to the house and spent time with the family. Our team meeting was later and shorter!

Wednesday evening was our Family Nite and I spent considerable time getting an old TV to play a VHS tape so the kids could sing to music. We have a new TV but I couldn't get it to work with the VCR. I was successful, but the old system leaves a lot to be desired. That kind of summarizes our whole technological system. Some of what we have is very good and some is rather archaic and the two don't get along well together. I'm referring to our sound and projection system. Trevor is slowly getting it whipped into shape.

One aspect of Family Nite is making sure all the kids get home safely. Some of our kids come from apartments down the street. Three little girls and their baby sister discovered mom wasn't home and the door was locked. We took them back to the church and waited for mom. Pretty soon she called. There was some kind of misunderstanding but everyone was safe.

I like to watch football on TV -- which I did Saturday. Did anyone notice that Oregon beat Washington? I only got in a little football Sunday, as you will read next. And tonight football was just "okay." Unless, of course, you are a Philly fan. But it wasn't much of a game.

Sunday they had a potluck for Pastor's Appreciation day. The food was great. So was the appreciation. It is always nice to be appreciated but I feel a little self-conscious or awkward about people saying all those nice things. The people really do appreciate Trevor and Shanette which is really good. Sunday evening Joyce and I drove to Springfield to attend the church where her nephew is the pastor. He started the same day we did last July but we haven't had the chance to go visit. We got of meet his wife for the first time -- who is expecting their first baby in December. They got married about 3 years ago in South Dakota (her home) and then went to seminary in Mississippi. This is his first full-time appointment and he is pastoring the church he grew up in. His mom and dad also attend the church. Kind of neat, huh?

And so it goes. Lots of work but time for fun. God is good.

Anybody Want To Eat Out?

Well... you, dear readers, are a wonderful tribe. All one needs to do for a little TLC is throw a bit of a pity party and there you are, saying nice things. I'm encouraged.

This has been a fun week. I know... I say that about a lot of weeks. Well, they are. Life is just plain ole fun. Lots of work, but still fun. My sister, Beth, has been with us for the past week. She is the one you don't recognize in this made-just-for-the-blog photo. We have done things with her, and at other times we left her at home and went on our own. Friday we took most of the day for a small tour of the area. We drove through Sodaville to Brownsville and snooped through some old shops, second hand stores, and the museum. Then on through Sweet Home and back to Lebanon. Fun day. Last week I mentioned a graveside service I officiated at. An interesting side note to that: I found out Beth's in-laws are buried at the same cemetery so we drove over there and found their graves.

We're not suffering for food either. Monday we ate out at a Chinese Restaurant, Tuesday afternoon we went to the Seniors Retreat at Aldersgate so we ate dinner there. Wednesday was Family Night with dinner there. Thursday Joyce and I were invited out to eat at a Mongolian Grill. Friday we ate lunch in at a nice little cafe in Brownsville. Alas, Saturday we had to eat at home. Tonight Joyce and I just returned from an invitation to eat out -- again!

Tuesday morning we went house hunting. We are considering moving to Salem and getting a duplex so Ginger can live in the other end. We got a list of possibilities from a Realtor, I laid out a grid, and we drove all over Salem looking at duplexes. Not the inside, just looking at the outside and considering the neighborhood -- if we wanted to pursue it further. There are some we are going to try to see closer but nothing we are really excited about. We have discovered some problems with what we want to do: 1) most duplexes are in a concentration of duplexes, i.e. rentals, with all the problems a group of rentals brings; 2) newer duplexes are nicer but the building lots are smaller, hence real close neighbors and no place to put the RV; 3) many of them are townhouses and we are not thrilled with the idea of steps. So we'll see how this progresses. We are in no hurry.

We are having fabulously beautiful fall weather. A little rain but then it turns nice, the sun shines, and temps are not too bad. It is really nice. The Friday trip was in gorgeous weather. Yesterday it rained. Today was beautiful. I preached this morning and Trevor did his first baby dedication. Ginger came Friday evening and went home after church today. And Beth goes home tomorrow -- after we eat lunch at a Mexican Restaurant just down the street!!!

And that is about it. Oh yes, the church. Of course, the church. That's why we are here, isn't it? Or is it to try all the local restaurants? Actually we don't have that many but Corvallis and Albany are nearby. That opens up a whole world of possibilities. Anyway, the church is going well. Lots of planning and visiting, planning and visiting. It's good. We're good. I hope you're good.

(Sorry about the big, long paragraph. After putting in a pictue, my blog won't recognize paragraphs -- many times. Any suggestions?)

2 Weeks Worth

I'm back. I didn't blog last week because I didn't feel like it! I decided that since I'm retired (well, supposed to be) that I didn't always have to blog if I didn't want to. Besides, who cares? I didn't think anyone would even notice. Who reads it anyway? Only 3 people checked anything on the poll (I'm the 4th one). So I had a pity party and kicked back and watched football. So there!

(I just lost a big paragraph of blog. I don't even know how it happened and I'm not happy again. Anybody know a better way to blog than to use blogspot? I've thought of getting a web page but I think that is more work and has more limitations for what this really is.) Okay. I'll try again but I always hate to redo something. There were a few times back in history when I would lose my sermon on the computer (a lockup or something). Then I would have to start over and I hated that. I think God gave me those times to see if I was really committed to developing the best sermon I could.

I think I'll work backwards. Today Trevor preached. We are beginning a sermon series on the Bible book of Philippians and he gave the background. My sister, Beth is here visiting us for about 10 days. We also had visitors from Grants Pass -- Mike, Joann, Ken and Ruth. Plus four other people from the Salem area (plus their kids). Our regular attendance was down but with the visitors, it didn't look too bad. We were also missing our pianist which meant singing a'capella. Actually we do that pretty well.

We made a quick trip to Grants Pass this week. We left Wednesday immediately after a funeral I officiated at (it was a simple graveside). Part of the funeral process is teaching Trevor and Shanette what to do so I had them involved with visiting with the family and Trevor prayed a closing prayer. At home -- GP home -- we had two doctors appointments EACH on Thursday (all is well -- too well, in fact. I am eating too well!). We stripped the garden and got the remnants ready to take to Jo-Gro on our November visit. We also winterized the RV and covered it for winter. Then headed back to Lebanon on Friday. Oh, I also turned on the heat in the house. Note: this is my new heating system that I have only been able to personally enjoy for two days! Maybe the house will enjoy it. Hope it works.

Joyce and Shanette painted the outer office a few days ago -- then put furniture and so on in there to make it more like a reception area. It looks nice. We have been invited out to eat and always eat too much. These people can sure cook! I've been working too hard. This is supposed to be part-time -- about 30 hours a week. Some weeks I'm getting over 40 and have averaged about 35. Oh well. I'm having fun. Last Sunday I preached. The previous two Sundays Trevor preached using his life testimony as a basis; then Shanette did the same thing. So I decided to do that also. That is the first time I have done that. I've shared my testimony before but never in that way. It was hard deciding what to talk about and what to leave out -- and then work all that into a sermon so it was more than just a "story about me." I think it turned out okay and it was fun.

And with that note of "fun" I'll end this blog. Be sure to have fun this week.

Totally Full Thursday

Before we got to Thursday, we had Monday -- work, Tuesday -- Joyce left me, and Wednesday -- Joyce came back. What happened was this. We have a friend, Beth (and her family) from back in Newberg days who lives in Redmond. Joann H. and Joyce decided to go visit her. She was trying to get ready for a yard sale but she had recently had surgery so it was slow going. Well, say "yard sale" to Joyce and Joann and it's like saying "telephone" to a teenager. I took Joyce to Joann's house in Stayton early Tuesday morning and off they went. I think it was a little bit of deja vu all over again -- the three of them talked, laughed, went out to eat, watched a DVD movie at the motel, and pretended they were young again. But they had a lot of fun and Joyce needed that.

Thursday -- yes, then there was Thursday! First off was a MEG meeting at the Conference office in Salem at 9:00. The superintendent and I had to tell a pastor that he was suspended from his appointment to a church -- not easy and not fun. Next, Joyce and I met with a banker to discuss the possibility of a home loan (IF we should happen to buy a house in Salem). Then it was off to Beaverton for a lunch meeting with Joe at 12:15. He is the coach for the pastoral coaches. I needed him to pour some education into me. Then we headed to Newberg for a 3:00 memorial service. This was for Mackey, a man who was our Director of Senior Adult Ministries when we were in Newberg. He was retired at that time but just so willing to serve the Lord in any way he could. I was asked to give a short tribute. When that ended, we schmoozed for a few minutes, then headed back to Lebanon for a dinner meeting with church friends at 6:15. When we left their house about 9:00 we decided to drive to Grants Pass. Whew! We fell into bed about 12:30. I think I'm too old for very many of those kinds of days.

Our garden is in decline, except for the tomatoes which are really ripening now. We picked a bunch -- not sure what we will do with all of them. Maybe sauce them up and freeze them for stews later on. Saturday, I conducted the memorial service for Lloyd, a former member of Allen Creek. When that was over we left for Lebanon, getting back here about 7:00.

Today, Shanette preached and used her life experiences as the basis for her sermon. She did a great job. Next Sunday, it is me.

Notice the preference poll to the right. Are you anxious for summer to be over? Add your vote. I'm not, but here it is, the first Sunday in autumn. We have been having some pretty nice days but the nights are getting cold and they say it will rain this week. Winter is coming, ready or not. And so it goes. Take care and have a great week.

A Look At the Inside

Someone asked to see the inside of our Lebanon house. Let me try to describe it to you. If you visited us you would step into a small entry way. To the left is a short hallway leading to the main bathroom on the right, a bedroom across the hall from that, and the master bedroom at the end of the hall. A couple steps down the hall from entry (just before the bathroom) is a short hall to the right going past the utility closet. Since we don't have a washer/dryer here, it makes a nice storage area. That hallway opens into the main living area. To your right is the dining room and to the right of that is the kitchen; to your left is the living room. These are along the back of the house (toward the canal). The first two pictures are of the living room -- definitely being lived in!!!

Moving around the room from left to right... a borrowed book rack holding a borrowed book, a borrowed stool holding a borrowed lamp, a borrowed recliner covered by a borrowed throw thingy, a borrowed lamp, a borrowed couch being occupied by a chosen wife, a borrowed table, a borrowed lamp, and another borrowed recliner.
Continuing around the living room is a snack table we own, holding my laptop computer I own. Next is a basket holding some plastic greenery we own, then a small table we own. Last is the backside of our TV (showing a football game) sitting on a borrowed table. The windows to the right look out on the canal. So its a comfy "decorated by borrowed" effect.

The dining room table and chairs are ours, the desk in the background is borrowed, the computer was given to me by friends in Seattle, part of the kitchen utensils are ours and part are borrowed. The food is ours -- mostly. The bedrooms are simply nice-sized rooms with air beds on the floor. Very utilitarian and works very well.

As for the week past... it has been fun. Since Trevor and Shanette were gone from Sunday through Wednesday, I had it all and it seemed like the old days of solo pastoring. They were at our church's World Ministries Center in Indianapolis at a conference for new pastors. Our two small groups started last week and I attended both of them, Joyce and I visited a man who only has a few months to live, we had our first genuine (with all the groups meeting) Wednesday Family Night and I led the adult group, and Joyce and I had lunch with our treasurer.

I took Friday and Saturday off and did some catch-up work on the computer. Friday evening I went to Lebanon High School football game. They are pretty good but still lost the game. Saturday evening Joyce and I were invited out to dinner at the home of a couple who have been in the church forever. Ginger came and went to church with us today. Trevor preached. We are starting a 3-Sunday series on our testimonies. He did a good job of using his testimony as the sermon. Next week it is Shanette; I am up the following week.

Two more important events: it rained Saturday (but cleared up today and is supposed to be 90* by Tuesday), and the Oregon Ducks beat Utah in football.

Strip It Off

I think we all carry too much weight around. No, I don't mean the pounds that plague our collective midsections. I'm referring to the stuff of life -- or maybe it's the stuff IN life. We have, we want more, we grasp, we hold tightly. We bring things along with us -- things that happened to us long ago but we won't let them go. They all weigh us down; they keep us from being the people God intended us to be. We need to get rid of the stuff -- to strip it off -- to run the race called life with as little extra weight as possible.

This morning I preached. You're getting the overflow. The Bible in Hebrews 12:1 advises us to "strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that hinders our progress." To demonstrate a contrast to "strip off," I started the sermon dressed in wading boots, a heavy wool coat, plus a wool cap with a funky tail down the back (like a lizard tail). It was fun; it was also hot. I found a place to ditch the stuff near the beginning and finished the sermon in my stocking feet.

We stripped off some of the stuff this week. What we ditched was the work load and feeling that "I have to be there." Monday was a holiday of course. To celebrate we stayed home most of the day. Our big outing was to Wal-Mart where we spent $3.00 on a plant for our courtyard; then a stop at the A&W drive thru for a couple of cherry limeades. What a day!!!!

Friday is supposed to be our day off. I finished my sermon, then we went for a drive to see this part of the valley we have never visited before. We discovered there are 5 covered bridges about a half hour from here -- we saw two of them and will pick up the other 3 on another day. We also found a neat little cafe where we had lunch. It is in Scio (you'll have to have a real good Oregon map to find that) and appropriately named the "Covered Bridge Coffee Shop." Good clam chowder!

Did we do anything constructive this week? Well certainly. We're not slackers all the time. Wednesday evening we had our first Family Night. It was simply a get acquainted, have fun, eat and play games. I told a brief story as our devotions at the end. This coming Wednesday we'll get serious with age-level groups. Saturday was all-church work day. About 14-15 people showed up and we got a LOT done. We organized rooms, got rid of junk, cleaned cobwebs, fixed non-working lights, painted places that needed touching up, and generally wiped, cleaned, and vacuumed. Somebody said this hadn't been done in 3 years. I can believe it. I've never seen so many cobwebs in a church! But it looks 1000% better now and I think the people feel good about what was accomplished.

Trevor and Shanette left this morning for a new pastors conference at our church headquarters in Indianapolis. The reason they left Sunday morning is a long story that involves confusion in booking flights. They will return Wednesday night.

Well, that's about it. Just ask, I'll preach you a sermon anytime. This was a good week and the coming week will be lots of work.

Committees, Fair, and Home

The title kinds of sums it up. There was another board meeting at the Conference Office -- one of those "not much fun" kind. But it had to be done. Then Joyce, Ginger and I went to the state fair. I think this was only the second time I had been to the fair. It was fun to walk around looking at the stuff and to take in some of the special shows. This was on Wednesday. Thursday morning we headed for Grants Pass. The garden needed tending, Joyce needed to pick up a prescription, and she had a ring at Fred Meyer that had been repaired. Okay, let me tell you about the ring. This was the ring I bought her for our 25th wedding anniversary just a few days before we left St. Helens in our move to Grants Pass. It is one of those "real expensive" fake diamonds -- all I could afford at the time.

While we were home we went out to dinner with Mike and Joann, plus some other friends: Ken, Ruth, Josh, and folks from New Mexico who were visiting Mike and Joann. It was a great time of talking and eating. Our garden was producing tomatoes and beans in abundance -- we brought a lot back with us. The zucchini and cucumbers were huge -- should have been picked many days before. And of course the lawn needed mowing. Saturday morning we loaded up the car (yes, the car -- the pickup can stay home for awhile) and drove back to Lebanon -- in the RAIN. Well, certainly. This is Oregon and this is a holiday weekend so naturally it rained. Though I have to tell you, right after church today a bunch of us distributed invitations to our Wednesday Family Night. And it did NOT rain until we finished. Thank you, Lord. Later in the afternoon, it really poured for awhile. The weather guy says it won't rain much tomorrow and get steadily nicer as the week progresses.

One other little, minor thing happened this week. Joyce turned 65 on Tuesday! I didn't do anything to embarrass her so I can use this blog to tell everyone. She is now officially old -- well, at least on Medicare. I was supposed to take her to lunch but I scheduled a luncheon with a guy in the church so I took her to Chinese for dinner. That's her favorite, anyway.

Now I am hoping this week is a little quieter. We need to do some visiting and some planning. Be good to yourself this week.

The Lebanon FMC

These are pictures of the Free Methodist Church in Lebanon, Oregon. The one with my pickup in it is actually the back entrance but the larger parking lot is on this side. Also a nicer entry door. That door is to the right in the interior view of the lobby area. The church office is straight ahead with the pastors office down the hallway.

The view with telephone pole on the corner is looking at what probably would be considered the "main" entrance. The church sign is on this side but the parking lot is small and entry door not as inviting. This side faces west and needs some paint. The wing closest to the street corner is the fellowship room. The worship area is the portion farthest away. Of course this other view is the interior of the worship center.

Trevor and I met with the high school principal last week. No! We weren't in trouble. The high school is next door to the church -- actually we are next to the back corner of the school property. Traditionally (I mean going back many years), the church property -- or the sidewalk in front of the church -- has been a hangout for kids who want to smoke, meet with friends who have dropped out of school, or just generally be a nuisance. So Trevor and I wanted to be sure we are on the same page with the principal in trying to cut down on this activity. He is new this year and has some good ideas on policing this area. Stay tuned on how this works. School starts tomorrow.

It seems we are getting into the routine of being constantly busy. Kind of like of pastoring a church again. I finished my two part sermon on getting out of our comfort zone. I am trying to prepare the people for thinking in new ways to reach our community. They seem very open to new ideas.

Well, take care and have a great week.

We Made It!

Wow! We made it through the week. Did I doubt? Well, maybe a time or two. We are finally getting organized in the church office. Each of us are taking one full day to be the "church secretary" -- answer phones, be there to greet visitors, do whatever needs done in the office, etc. My turn is Monday, Joyce has Tuesday. Friday is supposed to be our day off. Of course we are there (or at least I am) more than just Monday.

I preached today. I used a sermon I had preached before but reworked it and made it applicable to this church. When I finished, it was waaaaaay too long. I could have cut it down but all that stuff in there was soooo good (after all, it was MY sermon). I finally decided to cut it in two and preach the next part next week. However, this meant I had to add a little to this Sunday's sermon. So I did, but it took time

Then, I needed to attend a meeting in Salem Thursday evening regarding a problem in one of our churches. It was not a fun meeting. That took time. Friday, we went to Aldersgate Conference Center to get in on one meeting of our Conference Family Camp. We stopped at Joann's on the way to pick up some stuff we are borrowing for our house, stopped at a store to buy me some shirts, and ate dinner at Aldersgate. All this took time.

By Saturday, I was wondering if I would get everything done in preparation for Sunday. And there was still one thing still to do. Soooo, late afternoon Joyce and I were off to do something I had never done before. I attended the 50th Reunion of my high school graduating class. There sure were a lot of old people there! We had a great time and I connected with some people whom I especially remembered. And -- believe it or not -- we were back home by 9:30. But it still took time. Ginger came to spend the night with us and she was there when we arrived.

Some people ask me how Trevor is doing. The short answer... he is doing well. We visited some people of the "older generation" this week. He had never done anything like that before. The next day, Joyce and Shanette did the same thing. What fun!

The week coming will have some challenges but should be a lot easier. Maybe. But please enjoy your week. You will never have it again.

Our Lebanon Home

Some explanation is needed. The picture above is not really our house. Okay, now I have confessed. Our house is just like it but to the right, one building. There is too much brush to stand across the canal from our house to get a good picture. These are duplexes and ours is just like the far one (to the right). If I hadn't told you, you would never know. In the picture below, we are standing on our deck with the canal behind us.

I'm not sure what the canal is for, what is does, or where it goes. I'm sure it comes from the Santiam River but I don't know (yet) why. In the row of buildings along the left side, ours is the forth one -- too far away to see. We are in a complex of duplexes and town houses. They are old but nice. I've been told that 20 years ago this was THE place to live in Lebanon.


The garage is the building to the right. Joyce is standing by the side door but the light kind of fades her out. Our front door is tucked back in behind the garage. The window to the left is our bedroom. We have a rather roomy two-bedroom unit. The living room and dining room face the canal. My pickup just barely fits in the garage. All the yard work is done by others -- not me!!!


The first part of last week we were in Grants Pass getting ready to pack up for Lebanon. It took awhile to decide what to take and then pack. Tuesday (in the heat of the late afternoon) we loaded the pickup and left at 7:15 Wednesday morning. We kind of looked like the Beverly Hillbillies -- except with a white truck instead of a black one. We unloaded late morning and I went to a committee meeting in the afternoon. The cable guy got here right after we did so we had TV -- and high speed internet (yea!!!) -- before we were even moved in. We borrowed a recliner, a couch, a table for the TV, some lamps and a few other small tables. We're set!

It has been a good week. Trevor preached again because he wanted to finish a thought he started the week before. And also to clean up a little gaffe he made the week before. Not serious. He is doing a good job. Joyce and I met with the new Sweet Home pastor on Friday. His name is Matt. He and I will meet together often over the next many months.

The week ahead will be busy. We have Family Camp, my Fiftieth High School Reunion, and I preach the next two Sundays. So to start the week my laptop charging cord went on the fritz. I finally drove to Corvallis and bought a new "universal" cord at Radio Shack. We do get kinda dependent on our computers don't we?

And that's my week. How was yours?

Pictures From Waaaaay Back

We finally got high speed internet -- at our house in Lebanon. So I decided to upload a few pictures. We were able to see cactus in bloom. Beautiful! These prickly pear cactus were across the road from our RV. The blooms do not last very long -- one to three days.

The Rio Grande Gorge in northern New Mexico near Taos. That little strip of water is 650 feet down there. The Rio Grande begins in SW Colorado a couple hundreds miles north of here. By the way, most of the people in this area pronounce the "e" in "Grande."

The entrance to Carlsbad Caverns in southern New Mexico. This picture shows the walkway zigzagging back and forth from ground level down to the actual entrance and then on down into the cave (notice the people walking down). This cave is awesome. I walked down and met Joyce at the bottom. She went down the elevator.

White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. These sands make it look like you are at the beach. They go on and on and on -- but no ocean.

Logs in the Petrified Forest National Park in NE Arizona. These are spread all over the park.

Friends we met in Albuquerque: L to R: Dennis and Sandy, Joyce and me, Vern and Pam. We enjoyed Easter with them and then again a few days later at Vern and Pam's house for pizza.

This Was A Really Great Week

Last Sunday I was just arriving at Fir Point Bible Camp. Korak was just barely home from the hospital. Jana, Ginger, and kids were on their way to L.A. A short summary of the week is simply, it all went well.

Fir Point Camp was great. We had about 44 kids in the younger group. Many of them made decisions to follow Jesus. Joyce and I taught the Bible lesson which was based on the events surrounding Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Jana did most of the planning and was set to be a large part of the presentations. Because she wasn't there, we made some last minute adjustments and recruited Connie be be our helper. Connie has been coming to Fir Point Camp for lots and lots of years. She is the treasurer and in charge of crafts so she was free during the time we did our Bible story. During the first part of the week it was hot -- maybe low 90s. Wednesday evening it rained -- thunderstorm, big rain drops, lots of them. It came after dinner while we were painting ceramics for craft --outdoors. All the kids picked up their craft and headed for the lodge building. The rain didn't hamper activities very much. After that, it was cooler. The camp leaders changed the schedule this year so our last Bible presentation was Thursday morning. Because of the rain they changed the schedule even more. Instead of presenting the lesson three times with the kids coming on a rotating basis, we did it only once Thursday morning to the entire group (this was crossing the Red Sea so it worked really well for a large group). This meant Joyce and I could clean up our teaching space before we left for Grants Pass and her doctor's appointment. Anyway, it was a good week.

As I said in my last blog, Jana got home okay. Korak is doing fine. Ginger flew home Wednesday. Debbie met her at the Portland airport and drove her to Lebanon to pick up her car. She had left it in our "new" garage. By the time she got home, she was tired but everything worked out okay.

We are in Grants Pass to do a few things on the house, get packed, and load the pickup to "move" to Lebanon. This morning we attended church at Allen Creek. It is different. 'Nough said. Trevor and Shanette handled Lebanon on their own. I talked to him a little while ago and he said it went okay. Did I mention we have music? At least for awhile. A lady named Linda is back to play the piano and another Linda is singing.

We go back to Lebanon on Wednesday. I'm kind of anxious to get back and get into a routine.

All's Well

Just a quick update. Korak is home from the hospital. He sounded like his normal self when I talked to him this afternoon. Jana, Ginger and the kids arrived in LA safely. I don't know a lot of details but I do know that he will be taking it real easy for at least a week.

I made to Fir Point Camp about 4:30 Sunday. After church I packed up the RV and made a stop at Trevor and Shanette's for a hamburger -- they were having an open house so people could see the new carpet. We did a little set up last night for our Bible presentation and finished it up this morning. This afternoon the kids arrived and we presented Day 1 to three different groups. It featured Moses and the burning bush. It is hot -- somewhere in the 90s. Good thing the burning bush didn't produce any heat!!!

God is good.

Lebanon, Oregon

Today is Saturday, the first day of August. My, how the summer has gone by so fast. My calendar says Mars is supposed to be really close to the earth this month. I read that it will look as big as the moon. I don't believe it! But I am blogging today because I probably won't have internet connection for a week.

About Lebanon? I can say it is hot!!! Although not any hotter than it has been all over the northwest. Records fell all over the place last week. We had about 4 days of 100* plus -- I think the high was 103*. In Grants Pass it hit 108*. Fortunately the RV is air conditioned. I was at the church most of each day; the main office and the pastor's office are air conditioned. I have set up "camp" in the room connected to the main office. It is sort of a work room with storage for all the paper and similar supplies, plus the copier is in there. There is also a nice desk. I let Trevor have the pastor's office. Some of the cool air filtered over to my side so it wasn't too bad. Joyce, Jana and the kids spent a lot of time down by the river. Tuesday evening, it was so hot we drove to Corvallis to see a movie. It worked out that we got to see "G Force" in 3-D. Kind of expensive but it was really good, especially with things flying out of the screen at you. The kids really loved it.


Joyce left me Wednesday. So did Jana and the kids. I get them back tomorrow. They went home to make the final preparations for Fir Point Camp. We are teaching the Bible story again this year. This meant the RV was quiet and cool (with the air going), so I came back here each afternoon when it got really hot and worked on my sermon in a little more comfortable style. I'm preaching tomorrow.

I started to tell you about Lebanon. It is a small town -- about 15,000 population. Corvallis (home of Oregon State University) is about 15 miles west and Albany (larger) is about 15 miles NW. We have a Super Wal-Mart, a nice Safeway, lots of fast food places, and a few nice sit-down restaurants. Plus lots of churches. I'm anxious to post some pictures. We are going to get high-speed internet at the church so I can use that -- maybe a month away. Lebanon is about 170 miles north of Grants Pass -- straight up the freeway and 8 miles east. It is about 30-35 miles south of Salem -- right in the heart of the Willamette Valley. A lot of grass seed is grown in this area.

We had a little scare this week. Jana's husband, Korak, is back in LA working. He had been feeling a little chest pain so finally went to the doctor. They ran him through the treadmill test which he passed easily. Then did an MRI. It showed some occlusion in one the blood vessels around the heart. So yesterday they did an angiogram and found it was 95% blocked. They put in a stint and will run some more tests on another blood vessel they couldn't see very well. He spent the night in the hospital and goes home today. Jana felt bad that she couldn't be there but Korak's mother is in LA to give him lots of TLC. We considered flying her back for the weekend but that presented it's own set of problems so they elected to let Jana comfort him long distance. He is supposed to fly up to join us next Friday and we're hoping that will still be possible.


Oops. Just got word that changes the above paragraph. Jana really wants to be with Korak -- and she should be. He is spending another night in the hospital. Roy and Twyla came to visit just before Ginger got here. After lots of phone calls and a little encouragement from dad, Jana is driving home tomorrow. Ginger was going to have dinner with me tonight and attend church tomorrow. But now... a change. Roy is taking her to Grants Pass and she will help Jana drive back to LA. Then help her sister with the kids for a few days. She'll fly back to Portland in the middle of the week and bum a ride down to Lebanon to get her car. This means we won't have Jana to help at Fir Point but we'll manage -- probably get someone to take her place. It also means I don't get to hug Jana, Josiah, and Lilly again before they go back.

Trevor and Shanette moved into the parsonage last week so they are having an open house after church with hamburgers and hot dogs. I'll preach, grab a quick bite, hook up the RV, and head south. It is about 150 miles down the freeway to Glendale where the camp is. Joyce will get a friend to take her to Fir Point.

And speaking of houses -- we got one. Well, one to rent, that is. It is a duplex in a really nice complex of townhouses and duplexes. Our back deck (very tiny) looks out over a small canal. They do all the yard work!!!!!!! We take possession today so we are now looking for furniture to put in it. Getting it now means I don't have to pull the RV back up to Lebanon to live in while we continue to house hunt. Our neighbor on the other side of the duplex is an elderly lady so she probably doesn't throw any late night parties. I hope. We are keeping our Grants Pass house so will have to go back occasionally to check on things.

Probably this blog sounds a little disjointed because I typed it at various points throughout the day. And plans kept changing throughout the day. But you get the idea. And you know what to pray for.

Getting Acquainted

Just to put your mind at ease, the music was good today; so was the preaching. Sunday #2 went a lot better. We had Joann come to play and lead music. Joyce helped her sing. We served communion and Trevor preached on "Such a Day as This" from the Book of Esther. He did well. We are trying to get acquainted with everyone and some people seem to delight in making it difficult. We are asking everyone to put on a simple paper name tag; some won't do it. Oh well, eventually it will all come about.

Most of this week has been taken up with working at the church and looking for a place to rent. As for the church, I've been getting acquainted with where things are and with people who drop by; and then also just being there. House hunting is a different matter. We have driven by dozens of places -- and just kept driving. Some were not in a good area, some were too run down, some were on a busy street, some had no parking, and on and on. We toured two and made application for one. We should know by Wednesday if we will get it. It is a two-bedroom duplex in a complex of duplexes and town houses. Nicely landscaped, lots of trees, and quiet. The person on the other side of the duplex is a very elderly single lady. This is the first time we have rented in 17 years. When we first moved to GP we rented for 10 months.

Saturday, a girl in the church got married at her parents home in the country. The former pastor joined them in marriage. The day was hot but it was all under the trees in the shade so was real pleasant. It was planned very well. They had the ceremony in one place, then we walked a short distance, passed the guest book, went through the receiving line, got a cold drink, then found a seat at a round table. When the time came, we were dismissed to go through a buffet line to get our food. While we were waiting and eating, the bride's brother took a microphone to various people who said something nice (or funny) about the bride or groom -- or both. It made the waiting time go by quickly. After the cake cutting, the bride and groom -- assisted by the parents -- brought cake to each of our tables. A nice touch.

Friday we moved from Mallard Creek to Gill's Landing. This is in town so closer to the church and everything else. It is also cheaper -- er... less expensive. It is owned by the City of Lebanon and is very well maintained. The Santiam River, with a real nice beach, is directly across the road. The kids love playing there. The biggest drawback to being here is that we are not in very much shade and it is hot -- supposed to hit 100* in a couple days. But we have air conditioning and are usually down by the river or somewhere around town. My cousin Melode and her husband Ric came to visit today. Saying Melode is my cousin is a way of simplifying it. Her great grandfather and my dad were brothers -- you figure it out. We had a great, but too short, visit. They are on their way to Anaheim for a Creative Memories Convention. Tonight they had to be in -- isn't this ironic? -- Grants Pass! They have a friend there to visit and originally were going to visit us there also. Until we did this Lebanon thing.

So, enjoy your week. Stay cool. We'll try.

Grandma H. & Grandma M.

Well, yes. We did that and now we are doing this. Nothing boring in our lives. Last Monday we left the 100* weather of Grants Pass for the 95* weather of Detroit Lake. Not much difference. We were up there at a really nice cabin with a super great hot tub overlooking Detroit Lake. The lake is behind a dam on the Santiam River east of Salem. Did I mention they have a hot tub? This was the site of Camp Grandma!

I suppose it all started in 1975 when we moved to Newberg. We became friends with a family who had two children just a little younger than our ours -- a boy and girl. They lived near us, so these 4 kids sort of grew up together -- well, grew up until we left Newberg when ours were in late grade school. But we have remained friends over the years. In the course of time and romance the kids grew older, got married, and had kids of their own (each have a boy and a girl -- except Ginger, of course). The other grandma in this scenario wanted to do a Camp Grandma to allow her four g-kids to get better acquainted because 2 of them are missionary kids in Japan. Right now they and their parents are home between assignments. And it so happened that our two g-kids would be here on vacation at the same time. So grandma H. cajoled grandma M. into helping her and making it a 6 kid, 3 night sleep over (without parents). Me? I'm the token grandpa who only had to do a wood craft with the kids. Yeah, right! And organize the treasure hunt which ended at the ice cream shop. And help transport kids down to the lake to play in the water. And lift this. And lift that. And carry this. Oh yes, and sit with them in the hot tub in the evening when it cooled down. Oh my, what misery. It was an outdoor tub overlooking the lake with lots of little jets for the person sitting in the King's Corner. Someone had to do it. Just as well it was me. I'd hate to have the grandmas subject themselves to that kind treatment.

But the kids did have fun. They made some crafts Joyce had, the bird feeder I'd planned, they got to eat mostly finger food, they did NOT have to make their beds, they had lots of free time to play together, had morning devotions and an evening story, and the daily trips to the lake. This turned out to be daily because it was so hot and down there they could play in the water.

Friday morning all this fol-de-rol came to an end. We loaded up our two grandkids and met Jana and Ginger at Enchanted Forest. Did I mention that we had our RV up there? Anyway, we traded the kids and all their stuff for more room in the RV. We headed out for Lebanon; Ginger Jana, and the kids went off to have their time together. We are presently camped just outside of town at Mallard Creek Golf and RV Resort. Pretty upscale. Everyone golfs. Except me. That's why they go there. You should see some of these classy motor homes!

Now let me introduce you to our first Sunday at the Lebanon Free Methodist Church. First of all, this is a great church with lots of good history and lots of good people. Except the "lots" have been dwindling over the past couple years. In the past, music was led by the pastor, his wife, and one other person. So we knew that would be a big hole to fill. Trevor and Shanette tried to get every friend they ever had, or wished they had, to come and be the music for even one Sunday. Nothing. So I arranged for Joann (the grandma H.) from above to come and lead us in some hymns and a maybe a couple of older choruses -- because that is what she knows. Then Friday, Trevor calls and tells me they have made contact with a guy who is willing to come, play the guitar, and lead in some choruses and hymns. Great! I cancel Joann. Saturday we all meet at the church, decide on the songs, and practice a little. He agrees to come early Sunday to go over the songs again. Sunday morning, no song guy. Time for worship. No song guy. So we do the right thing. We panic. Trevor talks to some people and what we end up with really wasn't too bad. Two ladies led us in one hymn and three choruses, all a'capella. Hey, that's the way the church used to do it. The congregation did well. We had special prayer for a man with cancer, the church prayed for us, I preached, then there was a finger food reception for us. Ginger, Jana, Josiah and Lilly were here. That was great. And that's the way it was, as Mr. Cronkite used to say.

Next Sunday, Trevor preaches. This week we get better acquainted with the church. Stay tuned.

(P.S. I still don't know what happened to the song guy)

A Good Week

Wow, the week really goes by fast with family to keep up with. Korak went home Monday. We all miss him but he'll be back the first part of August. This week Rogue Valley Heating and Air came to install a new heating and air conditioning system in our house. This is the first time we have had a central system and we really needed to update. The old (dirty, smokey) wood stove will come out but we will still have a fireplace. Also the old wall mounted air conditioner will come out when Korak comes back. He is going to take it home and see if he can install it in his house. Then I'll have to figure out a way to fix the hole in the wall!!! The Rogue Valley guys had to crawl around in the attic during 85* days. They sure sweat a lot. We have been able to use the air conditioning for 3 days and we love it. Of course, this winter when it is cold we'll be up in Lebanon and not able to enjoy the nice warm not-wood-stove heat. Oh well.

While this was going on (including the inspections that followed) one of us had to be here. Usually that was me while Joyce and Jana ran around collecting the things we will need for kids camp at Fir Point in a few weeks. We worked on the planning for that -- we are doing the Bible lesson again this year -- along with the planning and preparation for Gramma's Camp. That is next week and I'll tell more about it next time. I am the token male (grandpa) at this camp and have been given the task of doing a craft with the kids. I made up a bird feeder and spent part of the week preparing the material so we have nice little kits for the kids to nail together.

While working for Wycliffe in Tucson last winter we made some really great friends. On Friday Gene and Linda stopped by for dinner and an evening of catching up on each other's lives. They used to live about half way between here and Crescent City so were on their way to visit old friends there. Their home is in Boise now. It is amazing the close friendships we made in only a couple of months. It must have something to do with that common bond we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yesterday our local public safety station (fire station and police substation combined) had an open house. This is a new building about a couple miles from our house. Jana and I took the kids. It was a really super open house. The kids got to sit on the fire engines, ride up on a rescue hoist, sit on the police motor cycles, and have their pictures taken with SWAT team vests and helmets on. I'll try to download some pictures but I'm not very hopeful. We got a tour of the whole place plus a hot dog lunch. The kids loved it and they got to meet firemen and policemen (in this case they were all men) and learn that they are not scary people. It was a good experience.

Today we worshiped at Jerome Prairie Bible. I led the communion part of the service. This evening we took the kids to a park to have fun on the play structures and run in the fountain. Then they were all wet so we had to go back home for dry clothes before we could go to Sharis for soup and pie. It was a good day. And a good week.

Family. Wonderful.

This has simply been a week of family. Korak, Jana, Josiah and Lilly arrived Monday afternoon and we have been enjoying every minute of it. The kids are having fun playing in the back yard and going for bike rides. Wednesday was Joyce and my anniversary so Korak and Jana took us out to dinner at a new restaurant on the bank of the Rogue River. Really nice. Actually we combined celebrations for Father's Day and our anniversary.

Friday, Korak and I put in some round stepping stones and gravel to kind of "finish" the back yard makeover. I was grateful for his help but we almost had a tragedy. I borrowed the neighbor's small utility trailer to haul the rock. Because it is old I didn't want to load it too heavily so we made three trips. On the second trip it came off the hitch and scooted along the pavement until the trailer hit the hitch ball and stopped. The scary part is that the safety chain broke so it could have gone anywhere it wanted but it stayed right behind the pickup. This happened just around the corner from a very, very busy intersection. I left Korak to direct traffic and made a quick trip home to get bottle jacks. It didn't take very long and we had the thing hooked back up and were on our way. The local policeman who stopped by didn't even offer to help lift! Oh, did I mention we were having a heat wave. The temps hit 99* that day! We drank a lot and sweat a lot but we got it done.

Saturday was Independence Day. Happy 4th, by the way. A little late. Anyway, we left early in the morning, drove to Salem, had a picnic lunch with Ginger, her clients, and their families. Then went down to the the riverfront park to let Josiah and Lilly enjoy some carnival rides. The park also has a permanent, really, really nice carousel and the kids love riding on it. Only 75 cents!

We were back home in time to light some fireworks on the street in front of our house. Of course, you understand we did this for Josiah and Lilly's benefit. Actually Lilly didn't like it because some of them were too loud but Josiah loved it.

Today we went to Worship in the Park at Riverside Park in Grants Pass. This was a community event with most (or at least many) of the churches participating. Fortunately, the weather was a little cooler and we also found some shade. Couldn't see too well, but we had shade.

Tomorrow, Korak goes home to work to pay for all this vacation stuff. But Jana and the kids stay here. So stay tuned. More family coming up. And pictures when my connection will allow.

Back In The Saddle Again

"I'm back in the saddle again."
Come on now, sing along with me. You know the words
"I'm back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again."

Very good. Shall we try the chorus. It's easy. All together...
"Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin' to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
I go my way
Back in the saddle again."

Good singing and thanks for the support. Yes, you've probably guessed we are indeed back in the saddle again. It all happened very fast. Monday and Tuesday I was innocently working on my taxes. Yes, the 2008 taxes! I forgot to take my tax stuff with me when we went to Arizona so I filed an extension. Jana, Korak and kids are coming next week so I knew I had to get the taxes done NOW. No more procrastination. So anyway... I calmly -- well, mostly calmly -- got the taxes done and mailed. Wednesday I was on a conference telephone call with the Ministerial Appointments Committee and it happened: "Gene how about going to Lebanon to work with Trevor to get him off to a good start." Joyce said it's probably a good thing it happened so fast; if we had time to think about it we might have said no.

We don't even know how the whole thing is going to look because we are still working on the details, but here is a brief overview. Trevor and Shannette are a mid-twenties couple who are going to the the pastoral team at the Lebanon FM Church. But they have no pastoral experience and are still in school. Trevor has about 2 years at 8-10 credits a semester to graduate from George Fox Evangelical Seminary; Shannette will graduate from George Fox University in December. Because we want them to succeed we are paring them with an "experienced, mature, pastor with lots of wisdom and knows where the pitfalls are." (Those words were actually used!) Isn't that a kick? I'm not even sure who they are talking about but I'm scared to death they are talking about me. Pray for me. Often. This is to begin Sunday, July 19 and go for 6 to 9 months, maybe a year. Joyce is right in there with me as she always is.

Friday we met with our Superintendent and Trevor and Shannette (Joyce and I had met Trevor before but not his wife) in Eugene for lunch. It gave us an opportunity to get acquainted and begin to make some plans. We decided Trevor and I will be co-pastors with the greater balance of the responsibility being mine at the beginning and then switching to Trevor as time goes on. Friday evening our Annual Conference began; continued on Saturday until about 3:30. Then we drove to Lebanon to meet with the the Lebanon board -- of course, Trevor and Shannette were there also. After that meeting the four of us went to a Taco Time for some planning and prayer. Then we drove back to Eugene. We stayed the night with Jack and LuWayne. Jack is Joyce's brother. We were physically beat but mentally hyped. This morning I preached my "final" sermon at Springfield, had lunch with Jack and LuWayne and drove home.

Right now we are wondering how we are going to fit Lebanon into all our summer plans -- and of course they have to take priority. But many of our plans can't be changed. We'll figure it out. We believe God is in this so he has a plan and he'll give us the guidance we need. Needless to say, stay tuned. There is a LOT more to come.

Quick Trip to Salem

We were quietly preparing for our trip to Springfield this weekend. Ginger was going to join us at a motel Saturday, we would have fun together, attend church together, go to a nice Father's Day dinner and then part for our separate homes. How quickly plans change.

The Conference Superintendent asked to set with him in an interview of one of our pastors on Thursday. This man was being accused of some inappropriate behavior by one of his female parishioners. I can't go into detail but after visiting with him for over an hour it was our opinion that he was being falsely accused. In a situation like this particular one it is very hard to know where truth stands; there will be one more meeting between he and the accuser plus their spouses, the Superintendent, and maybe me. What stood out as we talked with this man is the importance of one's integrity. None of us can prevent someone from making a false accusation, but if our integrity is intact it goes a long way in establishing where truth abides. In fact, -- and I used this concept in my sermon this morning -- people can take everything from you except your integrity. They can take your money, your job, your family, even your life but they cannot take your integrity. The only way you can lose your integrity is if you give it away through your dishonesty, your theft, your cheating, or whatever. (Actually, I can think of one other thing that people cannot take from you but I'll let you think about that one. If you have an idea let me know by using the comment page -- the link is below).

Anyway, as you have already gathered, Joyce and I drove to Salem Thursday and stayed at Ginger's Thursday and Friday nights. In the meantime, Ginger's boss -- the owner of the company -- had to be out of town for a few days because of a family emergency. And the person who would ordinarily take charge also had to be out of town. So the boss asked Ginger to be the "person in charge." Even though she has lots of responsibility in the company, she has never been asked to do this before. However this meant she could not leave town so there went our fun time in Springfield. But since we were already in Salem, not all was lost. We celebrated Father's Day on Friday night. Ginger took us to a really nice restaurant called J. James. I had some very yummy and tender pork loin.

Joyce and I used the motel room Saturday. The ladies of the church had a simple but real nice brunch set up. My sermon was on "The Measure of a Man" so I gave each one a small tape measure to help remember the main points. Since the church is not large, there were not a lot of men so it didn't cost me very much. After worship we went to lunch with a couple from the church.

And then we drove home.

Just a Week

Maybe I can call this preparation week because I spoke at the Men's Fellowship Dinner at Jerome Prairie Bible Church on Friday and then preached at Springfield on Sunday. Both of these had to be prepared for. So that consumed a lot of the week. A little work in the garden; a little work around the house; a visit to the doctor for my semi-annual checkup (I'm okay); some shopping -- and that's the week. Well, almost.

We drove to Creswell Saturday afternoon to Betty's house. She is my niece and Creswell is about 10 miles south of Eugene (or Springfield, since that was our ultimate destination). We enjoyed pizza and lots of conversation with my sisters, Doris and Beth; with Doris's husband, Bing; and with my nephew and wife, Roy and Twyla. This was the first time we had seen them since last fall before we left for Arizona. Nice visit. Betty let us spend the night at her house. This morning I preached at Springfield and we drove home -- with a stop at Appleby's in Roseburg for lunch.

It was just a week. Not a lot happening. Stay tuned. That will probably change.