It's More Than the Music by Bill Gaither

This is a great book to read. It was very interesting to hear about the behind the scenes workings of a Christian musical artist and it is very well written.

It has more in it than just what a normal biography would have. There are insights into life and heartwarming stories throughout this book.

Whether you are a fan or not of the Gaither sound, this book is well worth your time.

Find a comfortable chair and set yourself down for a great time of inspiration and a wonderful experience.

Gloomy days

It is very hard to remember a more gloomy spring than we have had this year. Normally by this time we have had some signs of spring...even some balmy and pleasant days. The kind of days that make you want to start gardening again. But not this year.

The weather people keep predicting more snow. What's with that? It seems like old man winter wants to get his few last licks in before he gets out for good. As we keep trying to say "good riddance" to the old man our days keep getting gloomier. But hope is our stay. Hope in the spring that is sure to come sometime. If not today, perhaps tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. But hope will cheer us on until we see the evidence before our eyes that spring will come.

Consider the Source

Another scene from the beautiful gardens close to us.

Have you ever wondered what they mean when newscasters mention "sources say" before relating a story? It seems that they feel that the identity of the source is inconsequential. We are learning more and more how important the source of knowledge can be.

In searching the web about a particular subject, we are now more astute at determining the source of any information we are gathering. We always check out the home page, usually under the "about us" information. It gives us a basis for understanding the source of knowledge we are gathering on this particular site. This little bit of digging can clue us in on whether this source has a vested interest in the knowledge that it is sharing. We can better determine trustworthiness by checking out the source.

Then there is the need sometimes to go a little further. We feel it is important to check out the associations of our source of information. It is wise to check out what other source is connected to the initial source of knowledge. It is important to recognize that our source of knowledge needs to be trustworthy. So the associations this source has are also vital in determining the soundness of our source.

So the next time you hear a news caster use the comment "sources say" you may do well to wonder whether their next statement can be trusted.

The Waiting Game

If you are like us, you find it hard to wait. Whether it is in line at the grocery store, sitting in the doctor's office, or just waiting for something to arrive in the mail, waiting can be difficult. Probably unconsciously we all know that our time here on earth is limited. So when it becomes necessary to wait it seems like a real inconvenience. We think we have better things to do with our time than wait.

Next time you are waiting (and you better believe there will be plenty of next times) we invite you to make good use of that time. Here's a way to use your waiting time wisely.

W--wonder about things. Take this otherwise wasted time and wonder about the things in your life that are curious to you. Keep the "kid" in you alive. We love to be around our grandchildren and one of the reasons is that they are in tune with wonder. Their imaginations just soar when it comes to wondering about many things. And they are not hesitant to share these ideas with us. So take a lesson from the young and practice your wondering.

A--ask yourself some hard questions. Maybe your spouse was right when they indicated that you need some improvement. It might have been hard to see this in the throws of a disagreement. Now would be an excellent time to think about their observations. Where do you need to change? What habits should you break? What good things could you be doing in their place? Life gets so busy that sometimes we just need to stop and think. While you are waiting would be a good time to do just that.

I--invent something new. Think about a problem you may have that needs fixing. Think of something new as a solution. There's an old saying that goes like this: Necessity is the mother of invention. Use your waiting time to invent an answer for your problem. It could be a physical, mental, or relational problem. Whatever has you "stumped", this is as good of time as any to come up with a workable solution.

T--thankfulness. Remember to be thankful for all the things in your life, even the problems. They make up who you are as a person. It's easy to be thankful for all the good. But don't forget that our trials and problems are a large part of who we are also. While you are waiting, be grateful that whatever makes you wait is available to you in our country. Some places in the world don't have grocery stores, doctors, or even mail delivery. Be thankful in all things.

So the next time you are waiting remember this little list of things to do:
W--wonder
A--ask hard questions
I--invent
T--thank
Your waiting time will be the better for it.

Our Book Reading Philosophy

No, this isn't our place. It's another photo of that public garden not far from us.
This place is noted for the beautiful tulip displays every year.
Can hardly wait till May!

How do we choose what books to read? What kinds of books do we read? These are some questions that we thought would be good to answer, especially since we are recommending some of what we read to you.

Usually when we see a book that looks interesting, we first get it from our public library. That way if it is not what we had hoped, we haven't spent a dime on it. If we should come upon questionable language, content, or if it simply isn't well written; we don't waste our time on it. If it is a really good book otherwise, we will sometimes give it the three strikes rule for language. Three foul, gross, or questionable words and it's out of here--no matter how good the author writes. But sometimes we probably shouldn't give it that many chances.

Occasionally one of us likes a book, while the other is less enthused. That usually determines whether or not we purchase the book for our own library. Most of the time and only if we both really like the book, will we actually invest in it.

Another criteria is that we will want to read it again. It is very satisfying to discover a good author who has written a number of books that fit into this category. We had usually felt fairly certain that we were safe to buy more books from this kind of author. But we have been fooled. So now we check out even these authors before making the purchase.

We don't let the term "Christian Writer" fool us. Even those sold in Christian book stores. We have found some pretty offensive stuff from authors that have this description. "Family" is another term that doesn't always mean much either. The best thing is to get into the book. If it's good it will show that very swiftly. And if it is questionable, that will be evident also.

One of us likes true stories, the other likes fiction also, but we both prefer inspirational reading. One has a preference for instructional or informational, while the other prefers stories. One is voracious, the other has trouble finding the time for a good read. We both like to be challenged at times. We also both enjoy children's books at about the 9-12 age level.

So hopefully we can be of some service to you as we recommend our choices. Whatever we recommend, we will try to give you some info about the book so you can make up your own mind. Happy reading!

So many books, so little time

We have been reading lots of books this winter. As a matter of fact one of us is reading three at a time right now. The book above by Carrie Bender is bedtime reading. It is very easy reading and part of a series. It's a fictional tale of the life of an Amish woman written in diary form.



Now this book is for fun. It's one that we have had setting on our bookshelf for awhile. We like to purchase books at thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets and such. Sometimes we don't have time to read them right away. This one has some pretty funny things in it. It is very important to laugh...very healthful too!


This one is very challenging as well as instructional. Joseph M. Stowell, past president of Moody Bible Institute, is a very prolific author. This particular book of his was really written for pastors. It is great for other leaders and even us lay people also. Because it is geared to pastors, the language can be daunting at times but if you work at it this book can really speak to all of us.

Some books we get from the library. And some books we receive as gifts. Other books we buy new and some we purchase used. However they come our way, we truly enjoy and are blessed by them.

Women in Church Leadership...continued

We would like to take credit for the beautiful garden in this photo, but this charming view is from a public garden very close (about 50 minutes) from our home. For the next few blog entries we will prepare you for spring with more garden eye candy from this lovely place.


Sunday evening our TT meeting began with looking at the ordination of one of our own. He is currently head of our secondary church school in this area. We are being asked to support his ordination for this work. We were encouraged to give our input, both positive and negative, to this calling of ordination.

Just a week ago our transitional pastor gave us what he called his "one man show" about looking at what the scriptures say about women in church leadership. So now he thought it was time to try to come to a consensus on this issue. How far on the continuum of positions of leadership within our church body are we willing to have women be involved?

He noted his observation that since we have had a women in the associate pastorate our congregation has been at odds. After some comments from others he asked for direction to reach a consensus.

Three different positions on the continuum were suggested by various members. After more discussion, our transitional pastor announced that he was of the opinion that a consensus could not be reached at this time. No one refuted his conclusion.

We have more work to do at arriving at what our congregation would like and can accept as far as women in leadership. All of the spoken opinions thus far appear to be in support of women in one of the top three leadership positions...however, written opinions show that at least 20% of those responding reject women being used in the top three leadership positions: lead pastor, associate pastor, or congregation team leadership. The written reaction factor in this silent minority group limiting women in leadership includes the consideration for unity in our church. That means that they have responded using the desire for unity in their deliberation also.

On the other hand, at least 13% of those responding felt that they can only support the position of a women as lead pastor. And this again was factored with unity in mind. During our discussion it was obvious that this group was not shy in sharing their views. We were uncomfortable with some of the intimidating, forceful and intolerant language that was being used. Comments such as "beyond ignorant" in describing an opposing view are not helpful. It is also not good to question another's faithfulness or willingness to follow the Holy Spirit. This behavior appears to be effectively shutting down any real communication. Perhaps political correctness is effecting our deliberations. This thought was actually voiced in the meeting.

With at least 33% of those responding at these two extremes on the continuum our transitional pastor has his work cut out for him in trying to bring consensus to this issue.

The last thing we addressed in our meeting was to identify a name for our congregational personage. We also discussed other attributes of our congregation using descriptions as if we were a person. Our transitional pastor assured us that this exercise in describing our congregation is essential to our future work. Some of us don't see the value, but we are trusting that he must know what he is doing.

We have been very fortunate to have a great preacher in our transitional pastor. He speaks very clearly and when you are through listening you have no doubt as to what he has said. And we feel that what he has said is what we as a congregation often need to here. Some of his sermons are supportive of what we are going through in our transitional transparency meetings. He is preparing us for a new pastor very well.

Inside my Heart by Robin McGraw

It has been over ten years now since a triple tragedy effected our lives. A sister, mother and step mother were all taken in death within two weeks time back in 1997. The sister was suffering with pancreatic cancer, but the deaths of the mother and step mother were unexpected. At that time we were swirling in grief and still we felt God's presence and comfort in our trouble.

In her book Inside My Heart by Robin McGraw (yes, she's the wife of TV personality Dr. Phil) she shares how she managed when she had some similar experiences. If you can find the time we recommend reading this book. She is an excellent author and it's spiritual message will certainly uplift you.

Women in Church Leadership

At our last transitional transparency meeting we were asked to focus on women in church leadership.

Our transitional pastor tried to present both sides of this issue. First he presented Bible references that indicated that it would be wrong to have a woman in a leadership position in the church. Then he presented the other side by siting how that throughout the Bible there are instances of women in leadership roles.

After this was presented, there was a time for open mike. We were encouraged to share. More women than men shared. One comment was outright support for a woman pastor. One questioner asked if the Bible tells us how we should interpret the Bible itself?

After the open mike time, we were asked to place our position on the issue within a 1 to 10 continuum without considering church unity. The low numbers indicating that our understanding and interpretation of the Bible was weighted in support of women in leadership. The high numbers indicated a more strict interpretation of the Bible. Then we were asked to again place ourselves within the continuum by adding church unity into the mix to see if that may have changed our place.

The final question was if you felt that after this meeting we could move on or did we need additional Bible study and discussion about this issue.

We will be getting a report from our transitional pastor later. It will sure be interesting to see where this leads us.