Our new pastor

Some great news...this just in. We now have a new pastor set to begin his service with us in September.

The journey to this came about very slowly. But the process was very well done. We like to think that we had something to do with that. We met individually with each member of the search committee and emphasized the importance of keeping the whole congregation informed along the path of choosing a pastor. We also tried to get the idea acrossed that this pastor needed to be chosen by all the people.

The search committee did an excellent job of vetting our new pastor. They also did an excellent job of involving the congregation. Our new pastor was approved by a 93% vote. He also mentioned in his acceptance note that he felt good about how we went about the job of selecting a pastor.

Our new pastor is a down-to-earth guy...very people oriented. He feels that scripture is important and enjoys study. Another interesting aspect is his use of drama to help make his sermon point.

So we look forward to a good experience at church in the future.

Spring cleaning

she said

You may have noticed, if you are reading our blog that is, that we haven't been posting much lately. That is due to a lack of internet use at our home computer. So check back each week for a while...we still may be able to post on occassion...as well as "He" has internet use daily Monday - Friday (though "He" doesn't post often.)

We are in the process of moving and whether we have home internet connections in the future is uncertain at this time.

Each previous year we like to pretend that we are moving when we do our spring cleaning. It's a good practice because it forces us to make some decisions about all our "stuff." Now this year is the real thing...not a practice run. So moving is going to take some time...and thankfully we have no dead lines to meet as of yet.

We are also in the process of updating our "money pit" and that will also take time (as well as money!).

So remember us in your prayers...this can also be a stressful time.

Three Score Birthday

He said:

I turned 60 years old today!!

What an amazing thing.

Actually I celebrated my birthday yesterday with some of my family gathering around me. I enjoyed the time together very much. Family meaning, my better half, two of my siblings and their spouses and my oldest son and his wife and their two children also known as my grandchildren. We celebrated with my favorite German chocolate cake and icing. After visiting and enjoying each others company for several hours we went to the local Dutch type restaurant and their my wife and I were treated to supper. We then had some more visiting back at our house.

I received a number of birthday cards. The one birthday card that I received was full of information that took place the year I was born. For example, the VW car was first sold in the USA in that year with a whopping total of 2 for the whole year! When I was born my life expectancy was 62.9 years! Now by doing a bit of math, 62.9 - 60 = 2.9 years..... Hummmmmmmm... More interesting facts. Gasoline was 17 cents per gallon. Bread was 14 cents a loaf and postage was 3 cents. Ronald Reagan (yes our former President) starred in a movie called "The Girls From Jones Beach" but I can say I am sure I haven't seen it. I should check the library web site to see if it is available.

Another gift I received was an interesting book about farm machinery during the early years of mechanization.

One more gift that is yet to be realized is the one my spouse gave me. Knowing that I like trains she gave me a train trip. It could be one that the area train club gives several times through out the non winter months. These are day trips of usually several counties away with time to visit tourist attractions at the destination. Another option would be a trip to PA to visit family. This would involve traveling to Pittsburg by car to access a train with a decent time schedule and traveling east. If I choose this trip we would like to travel in the fall to see the trees when they are the most colorful.

As I turn 60 years old, I pause to reflect that my Lord has been good to me and the realization of the blessings He has sent my way. Yet also realizing that I don't in any way deserve or have earned the blessings. But understanding that God in his infinite wisdom, some how and for some reason has blessed me and my family. I have been learning about trust too as I get older. I fully understand there is no guarantee of tomorrow and that my life is only sustained by the Lord's will because my life is entirely in His hands.

God bless you.

Only one life

Two little lines I heard one day,Traveling along life's busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God's holy will to cleave;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, "twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say,"Thy will be done";
And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say "twas worth it all";
Only one life,'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.

Author Unknown

March madness

She Said:

Last evening, while we were quietly reading, a rumble of thunder disturbed us. This is the first week of March and yet, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s, we are experiencing unusual weather. Along with the thunder came a downpour. So today when we made a tour of our gardens for the the first time this year, the ground was very squishy. A few daffodils are poking up. The forsythia is looking softer, getting ready for bloom. Some iris are greening up. Even at this early stage, before spring is on the calendar, there is evidence of the end of winter.

Of course by next week we will probably be digging ourselves out of a snow storm. But this springlike weather is sure welcome while it's here.

Spring Bible Memory Psalm 100

WE ARE HIS

She said:

For our spring quarter we will be learning Psalm 100 as Bible memory. We are using the NRSV. Each week I will say the psalm along with the student up to that week's new verse or partial verse. Perhaps this will help them learn the whole psalm by the end of this quarter. Each one that recites receives a lamb sticker and a treat. When the whole psalm is recited on their own by a child, a reward will be given. Or we may just all recite the psalm in a Sunday morning service. Our bible memory recitation takes place between the bells after Sunday school. We have a warning bell and then five minutes later the final bell. To let the children know that I am ready to listen I have a couple of stuffed lambs that make a sound like a lamb baahing. The children enjoy squeezing these while helping to distribute the stickers and treats. Plans are to have a visit from a real lamb before the quarter is over. Part of their reward will be one of the stuffed lambs.

Why I like jigsaw puzzles

She said:

I really like putting together jigsaw puzzles. But only certain kinds. I really dislike the kind that have very little differences in the pieces. And I dislike the kind that have too much of the same color within the picture. The kind I like best have something on each piece that gives a clue as to where it belongs in the puzzle. That way it is like solving a mini mystery in finding where each piece should go. Now these pieces shouldn't give away there clues too easily. They need to be somewhat of a challenge. Each puzzle seems to have its own pattern of discovery. Sometimes the color is the key and other times the shape is helpful. But when the color and shape work together giving clues of placement, that is the best and most fun. At times pieces just seem to fall into place. And then other times a certain piece must be left to the very end...nothing seems to fit and then suddenly you find it. For a winter past time there is nothing better than to piece a jigsaw puzzle!

Finally some good news

This snow is almost gone!

She said:

I had some really good news today. Just received a copy of my latest blood testing results. My cholesterol is finally within normal ranges. I have been on a cholesterol lowering drug for three months now and I also have been trying to follow a low fat diet. For the past six weeks I have also tried to eliminate animal fats and sugar from my diet. That has helped to get my triglycerides down to almost normal range. On top of that I have been on a brisk walking program, mostly 4 miles a day. So I think I will continue doing what I am doing because it seems to be working well.

One thing that is puzzling us is that I haven't lost any weight. I could stand to lose about 50 pounds and not miss it! So perhaps I will need to do something else to get those scales to go down. About the only thing left to do is cut my portions more. I try not to take seconds and I try to stop when I feel full. But I think I will need to restrict my portions to see any headway in weight loss. Hubby just can't understand why I am not loosing weight, especially with all my activity.

ACL vs. BCL

He Said,

It occurred to me the other day that my desk top (BCL) was so cluttered and how much of a battle it was to process all the papers that come through the mail. Papers waiting to be processed include from church. Then there are all the related questions that have to be answered in response to all the papers. Hard copies for taxes are fairly easy to handle by just putting them in the correct paper file. But here is an example of decisions about papers that needs to be made. How long do you keep the church bulletins? One month? 3 months? a year? Where do you store auto repair receipts? How long? If you decide to keep them, then the question becomes where to store them? If you have a good filing system, that does help but files get fat after a while too and then the drawers get full and then what do you do?

(ACL) Being persons that depends daily on a computer, why not put the computer to use. To help win that battle we purchased a scanner. The ultimate answer as to where to store all these papers. Just create an electronic file and scan the paper, save in to the file, shred and then trash the shredded papers and presto you now have everything reduced to bites (x's and o's). These are stored some where down there in bowels of our computer where computer chips lodge and the mysterious mother board performs her mysterious duties.

Now if there is a file that you want to have quick access to, we place a "short cut" on the desk top. (Desk top now meaning a vertical flat surface when you point to your wishes and click) The short cut means you can access that file directly with out opening your documents to find it.) Well the short of this whole thought is that now our "desk top" is full and cluttered which we have been tiring to avoid all along by keeping the desk top (the horizontal flat surface) cleaned up. So what we basically have accomplished is moving the clutter form one "desk top" to another "desk top."

Oh, yes BCL stands for "Before computer lives." Yes desk top actually refers to a flat surface on our computer desk. Now for those of you who can't hardly remember life with out computers there is another acronym. ACL That is "After computer lives." You see desk top has taken on a whole new meaning.

I guess it is time to clean up the desk top, yes both of them!

The Note

She said (and He agrees):

This is a feel good movie that won't offend. The acting is good. The story is interesting. The best part is the special feature, a conversation with the author of the novel from which this DVD was made, Angela Hunt.

She said:

I thought that the first kissing scene was not authentic. The main character was in a flashback to a very traumatic time when this scene took place. It seemed inappropriate for the character. I wish they had waited to develop this relationship until after some of these problems were resolved. But even with this, the DVD is highly recommended by us both.

Food-Faith-Family-Fellowship (4F)

Let is snow, let it snow, let it snow!

She said:

Again this year our church is having what is called "Food-Faith-Family-Fellowship" (4F) nights each Wednesday evening. Our frigid snowy weather is wreaking havoc with our plans. Two weeks ago it was very iffy with schools closed and other activities canceled due to the weather. The meeting was still on, but we chose not to go because of the weather. Then this past week we actually canceled the evening due again to snow.

Every Wednesday for six weeks we have a fellowship meal and offer meetings/classes. This year our choices were:

The conscience consumer, learning how to be more aware of our buying and it's effect on the world.

Pick up your pen and write, in depth Bible study using writing as a tool.

Prayer, Praise & Ministry, just like is says; an informal time of prayer, praise, singing and ministry by sharing scripture.

Serving at local mission outreach, involves cutting fabric and busy work to help with overseas mission donations.

Inter-generational Interaction, a time of games and fun, by families or individuals.

I am staying with the Prayer, Praise & Ministry group as it is an extension of the meeting that began as a result from our transparency meetings. This time is precious with intercessory prayer, singing and praising. It reminds me of the old fashioned prayer meetings from my growing up years.

Hubby is not sure where he fits in. He came with me last week to our meeting but doesn't think that's for him. He's still not sure what he wants to do.

Our youths had planned a pinewood derby race for last week. (All other classes/meetings won't meet that night) But since this was canceled due to weather, we probably will try again this week.

International Low Fat Meatless Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Still yearning for spring!

She said:

Here is a recipe I put together myself that turned out so well that I thought I should share it with you. I call it International Low Fat Meatless Cabbage Rolls.

From Mexico: 1 can fat free or about 2 cups of re-fried beans
(You can make your own fat free re fried beans in a crock pot.)
From China: 1 packet microwavable brown rice
From Ireland: cabbage leaves from one cabbage (about 8-10)
From Spain: 1/2 cup salsa (we use mild)
From Italy: 1 cup spaghetti sauce

Steam cabbage leaves in boiling water for about 3 minutes. When cooled cut out any thick part of the leaves. Cook re-fried beans from the can in microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. (If you want to make your own re-fried beans just put 1 cup of dried pinto beans, 1/2 chopped onion and enough water to cover the beans plus one cup in crock pot on low all day until soft. Check and stir occasionally and add more water if necessary. Then add your favorite taco seasoning packet after mashing up the beans.) Cook brown rice according to packet instructions. Combine the brown rice and re-fried beans. Place about 1/2 cup of this mixture in each cabbage leaf and roll it up neatly. Place these in an oven safe dish. Mix the salsa and spaghetti sauce together and pour over the top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

What a bargain! & Job all done

(I set a tea cup beside so you get a feel for the size)

She said:

A while ago (as in possible two summers ago) we picked up a real bargain at a church rummage sale. A drapery store had donated large roles of fabric to the church for their sale. Each role cost only $6. We picked out a nice neutral earth tone. Now I am making curtain/drapes for our home and the office. My sewing machine has a nifty feature that allows machine hemming. This is coming in quite handy for the job. So far I have just two windows done here. The role of fabric looks like we haven't used any yet! Hard telling how many yards are on this role. I have tested the fabric for wash ability and it passed.

What I do is sew awhile and then read awhile, then clean awhile, then cook awhile, and then begin the process all over. Eventually I hope to get this job done, just as I finally finished the quilting on the miniature quilt pictured above. It, along with it's full sized version and another wall hanging, are on their way to PA for the spring fundraiser for the school where our grandchildren attend.

A Can of Peas by Traci DePree

She said:

Hoorah!! Have found another great Christian writer.

This is a story of a young couple who make the decision to give up a life in the fast lane for the chance to save the family farm.

The story is full of humor and is very heartwarming. I love the writing style of introducing one of the small town characters occasionally before a chapter begins. This is done by giving a background story on the person. What a delight to discover another author that uses their writing talent to inspire us.

Traci Depree is the editor behind many of today's award-winning and best-selling Christian novels. Her work is a joy. She has added two sequels to this premier novel.

What I learned in high school

Already longing for the first signs of spring!

She said:

First let me say that we have a phenomenon at our house that is probably true in most homes. Occasionally we either have a kitchen container without a lid, or a lid that doesn't fit any of our containers. I am speaking mostly about those containers that we use for leftovers.

Now here is where what I learned in high school comes in.

Since I had a glass container without a lid but I still wanted to use it and store it for a few hours in the refrigerator, I placed another glass container (this one had it's lid) right on top as a substitute lid. It sort of sank a little into the under container.

What I learned in high school in physics class is that things expand when warm and contract when cold. This was important in this case because the glass container that was being used as a substitute lid was still warm. So what I learned in high school finally had a practical use. I knew that if I placed this warm glass container on top of a cold glass contain I would not need to worry about it getting stuck because if anything it would contract as it cooled.

Now the sad thing is that this is the first time I can recall using something that I learned in my high school physics class in a practical way.

A Slice of Pineapple by Mary Louise Uchida

She said:

This little gem of a book is a great read. It has unique humor and is even "laugh out loud" funny at times.

The book is small enough to fit in your purse, so you could take it along on your next doctor visit. It is very easy reading and you could probably finish most of it while you are waiting. That is, if you don't mind the stares when you guffaw at some of the funny stuff.

The author shares her insight into life's little mysteries. And she shares her life in a very entertaining and inspirational way.

We both highly recommend this one. It would make a very nice gift. This can be purchased from Masthof Bookstore & Press at www.masthof.com for $7.95, a real bargain.

She said: Resolution Discovery

It is amazing to me the number of times things have come up in the past week that are directly related to my new year's resolution.

Here is just one example: We recently went to one of our favorite restaurants to have a nice pleasant dinner. In the next booth, just behind me, there sat someone who was kicking the booth so hard that it could be heard by hubby. Now this is one of my pet peeves, so my first reaction was less than full of grace and dignity. My thought was to get up and confront the person, or at least ask the waiter for another booth. (That would not have worked because the restaurant was full.) Thankfully my resolution came to mind before any action was taken. So we talked about how to handle this situation with grace and dignity. We also talked about what was with the person doing the kicking. The person happened to get up to use the restroom, so hubby got a look. His impression was that it was just a kid. But when the person came back I noticed that it was a small fully grown woman. For whatever reason the kicking ceased and we could finish our delicious meal in peace.

After this experience, as well as a few others, I have discovered some things about incorporating grace and dignity into one's life. First, kindness and grace go together. In other words, to show grace one must be kind. If you are unkind in any way you cannot show grace. Second, it is very difficult to be angry and have dignity. The first thing to go when you loose your temper is your dignity, if you let it.

There have been other examples where my resolution to have more grace and dignity for the new year has been challenged this week. But the restaurant example is the most obvious one.
And it was an eye-opener to realize in order to have grace and dignity, kindness and controlling anger is a must.

New Year with he said

He said,

A new year is here. It is hard to believe how fast 2008 went by. Over the last number of years I have been using for my daily readings a Bible designed to be read through in one year. Many times I would skip some of the old Testament passages that were so difficult to follow or shall I dare say boring. Several times I did manage to read the complete Bible.

However, sometime in December I felt the Lord leading me to do something different after I found a book by Tim LaHaye titled "How To Study The Bible For Yourself." After reading parts of the book, I felt this was the way to approach my devotional time with God this year.

One thing that will be new for me is to write something down after each reading. His overall plan is to read some books of the Bible multiple times. Ultimately the complete Bible will be read after 3 years. The book of First John is the one that gets read the most often.

Hopefully he, the author of this blog, can share some insights and thoughts along the way in the future.

New Year with "He said" and "She said"

To begin this new year we have decided to start specifying who is the author of each blog entry. When she is writing the blog entry will be prefaced with "She said" and when he is writing the blog entry will be prefaced with "He said"


"She said"

For my new year resolution I have decided to try to improve the person that I am. Something came to me the other day. I started thinking about what kind of person I am. There are two attributes to my person that I would like to enhance. I would like to add grace and dignity to my personality. Whenever someone thinks of me, I would like them to think of these two wonderful qualities. Right this minute these are in short supply for me I feel. Sometimes I am not very graceful...in the social sense. And sometimes I don't act very dignified, especially toward my family and friends. So I can see where improvement on these fronts is very much needed.

I think of things that concern me and how easily I obsess about them. This certainly shows no grace or dignity. I need to learn to take life as it comes and make the best of it more. And stop obsessing when things aren't going my way. I need to remember who is really in control.

Sometimes my immaturity shows. I am very competitive and this sometimes is evident, especially when playing games and such. This certainly is not showing grace and dignity. I need to rejoice is someone else when they triumph not only when I win. That is a characteristic of grace. And that shows dignity as well.

Another time when these attributes are in short supply is when I am angry. I find that I often go directly to anger when I am hurt. And when that happens the first casualties are my grace and dignity. What a tragedy! For those are the times when these features are really needed the most.

So this year my resolution is to cultivate grace and dignity. Occasionally I may report back as to how I am doing. I may even report my failings...just to motivate me to improve.