You may have noticed that we have not updated our blog of late. It has been a very busy time here. Not just because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Much of our time lately has been spent in doctor's care and waiting rooms. And it's not over yet, as another test is scheduled for this week.

At times like these it is tempting to ask "Why me?" But a recent book about the life of Corrie Ten Boom suggests that the question better suited at these times it "How?" Asking God why seems like a lack of faith for us. Instead of wondering why, we want to ask His help in how to handle these situations.

Hard times are not always prevented from entering our lives. But the Lord has promised to always be there to help us get through the hard times.

The only time life can break us is when we choose not to come to the Lord for help.

And then there is the act of giving thanks. We ask how can we be thankful during hard times. It's always easy to be thankful for good times and an easy life. True faith is giving thanks even in the difficult moments and trials of life. It's not easy but it is simple. So we are thankful even in the midst of testing. And we are asking God to show us how to get through these rough times. We know He will!

We highly recommend that you watch the DVD entitled Miss Potter. This heartwarming story is based on the life of Beatrix Potter, author of the classic children books "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and others.

Hollywood surprised us with this non-offensive movie, though rated PG. There was no bad language or other offensive material. We were somewhat puzzled at the rating...though probably it might be due to some of the subject matter. Be warned, it is a tear jerker, especially the last 20 minutes. But it does end on a good note. And speaking of notes the music for this is fantastic. You go away humming.

We are thrilled to encourage you to view this one. It is rare for us to be able to tout anything out of Hollywood!

In our last transitional transparency meeting our congregation concluded that sharing during morning worship should continue, with some direction from pastor/worship leader. The ground rules will be:

Sharing will be encouraged to take place in Sunday school and small groups.

Pastor/worship leader will express concerns after the sermon.

Then persons will be invited to share briefly in one of three specific ways:

Concerns about themselves, their family, or others known to everyone.
How they have seen God at work recently.
Response to sermon.

Guidelines are as follows:

No advocacy for any congregational, theological or political issue.
Pastor/worship leader will limit or extend sharing on length and appropriateness.

This sharing time will be concluded with a closing prayer.

After this issue was decided we went on to discuss in small groups our next issue, namely the perceived disconnect between leadership and the person in the pew.
Each group reported back their points of discussion.

The two hours were up, so results of this issue will be addressed at our next meeting in a month's time.

Overall we would say that these meetings are a good thing. Many people who had doubts about this process are reporting a change of heart as to its merit. We see this whole experience as a good thing, and we would recommend it to others.

Simple Chili

This is Chili making weather at our house.

Take a large can of tomato juice, add a small can of petite diced tomato, and a small can of red kidney beans.

To this add one pound of lean ground beef that has been browned, along with a chopped medium onion and a chopped garlic clove.

To spice it up add one tablespoon of Chili powder, a couple dashes of Worstershire sauce, then mellow it out with a packed tablespoon of brown sugar and a tablespoon of dried parsley flakes.

Get it all cooking in your crock pot on low...if you start it in the morning it should be good and ready for supper.

YUM!!