Moments

This was a really fun weekend at First Trinity.  Here are just some of the special moments.

• The fun began on Friday with Pioneer Camp and Retreat Center’s annual golf tournament.  The weather was perfect, the golf game, not so much.  Jon, Jason, Paul and myself teamed up to give the other golfers a run for their money.  We shot a respectable five over.  I felt pretty good about that.  Then they announced the prize for the most honest score card, and we won.  That was the nice way of saying we came in last.  The prize, a group golf lesson.  Oh well, we had a lot of fun.
• Then worship on Saturday was great as we got back into the normal fall season.
• We had a fun breakfast Sunday morning during the Bible hour.  Lot of young families at church.  Everyone is getting back into a routine.

It sure is great to belong to this family of believers.

A nice long beautiful weekend in Buffalo.  Here are just a few of the special moments:

• Began Saturday with a confrontation with some Jehovah Witnesses.  They always use the same old arguments.  They like to quote Greek, but the only Greek they know is what someone has told them.  Fortunately, I have a degree in languages, including Biblical Greek.  Unfortunately, they won’t listen to the truth.  Very sad way to begin the weekend.
• Got a virus in my computer.  Hopefully I have it fixed.
• The good part of the day, I got to worship.  God is so good.  Nothing encourages and lifts me up like time in God’s presence, singing and adoring Him with this family of believers.
• Did a night cache, well tried to do one.  It was just too difficult.  It was a hard one and it was getting late.  Finally gave up until another day.
• Sunday morning worship was fun too.  I got to do the childrens’ message.  The early service was tough!  Those kids will eat you up and spit you out.  Fortunately, it went a little better at 11:15.  Now I am just scared of those kids.
• Played outside.  What a gorgeous day.
• Ran a ton of errands, but Susan was with me so it was okay.
• Played outside Monday night.  Had a fire.  Made smores.  Just a pleasant evening.

I pray you had a blessed weekend.

It is so good to be back.  I say this often, but I mean it, there is no place I would rather worship our living God than with the family of First Trinity!  This weekend was no different.  Here are just some of the highlights.

• Saturday morning began with a Men’s Breakfast.  It was great as always.  Ray Goodrich was the speaker and share a great and challenging message.
• Nice turn out for Saturday’s traditional service.  Sue B picked out great hymns!  It was wonderful.
• Sunday was fun.  A lot of joy in worship today.  We had a baptism.  Rachel is such a beautiful little girl, and very smiley.
• Went to the family’s house later for a party.  (Hey, food was involved).  It was fun to talk to everyone.
• Went geocaching with the family and Debbie B.  Beautiful day but chilly.  The mosquitoes were hungry, but we fed them well.  We are not up to 91.
• Watched Extreme Home Makeover about a family who had three kids, adopted three from Haiti and then a bunch more from the city.  They live in Toledo.  A wonderful Christian family.  They sent a bunch of supplies to Haiti as part of the show.  It was fun to watch.
• Looking forward to the week ahead.

God is so gracious to us.

Well the vacation has ended.  We’ve been gone two weeks.  It was great, but it is always good to be home.

Some of the highlights from vacation were going to Washington D.C.  We had never been there before.  It was pretty amazing.  Abby and I played golf.  She is actually pretty good.  There is some natural talent there.  I’m not sure where it comes from though.  Lots of geocaching.  Great family time hiking in the woods.  We played lots of racquet ball.  Wish there were a place around here to play.  Visited our first congregation in Ohio.  Always fun to see friends and worship together.

But the best part of vacation was the time with the family, just being together, playing games together, and talking and laughing.  Susan does such a great job of planning.

The worst part was seeing all the new sights and wondering how Lovelie and Wisken would see them.  I wish they would have been with us.  They’ve never seen a deer or a squirrel or a golf course.  Hopefully they will be here by our next vacation.

Still, this was a wonderful vacation.  I am rested and ready.   We always miss our F.T. family.  It is good to be home.

First of all, I did bring my computer.  Now I can post this blog.  I just haven’t had much time on it because we stay so busy on vacation.

Anyway, vacations can be expensive.  Therefore, being the manager of the family and chief bread winner, I have to think of creative ways to pay for vacation.  I have found a way to do that.  I just hire out my talented family.

The family is on stage earning a little spending money for vacation.  We called ourselves the chillers.  (Don’t ask)  As you can imagine, we were a rousing success.  They were recalled for two more numbers.  My wife did her special tribute to Michael Jackson.  Man- can she moonwalk.

They really don’t have a spot for me in the group, but they do let me manage.  I have to do the grunt work and pretend to sit in the crowd and yell and holler and get the crowd excited.  I hold my lighter up and sing along and sway.  That usually gets the crowd to join in.

So we will stay on vacation as long as I can keep booking them a gig.  If this keeps up, who knows when we will return.  I have some better pictures that I may post at a later date, unless my wife threatens me.

Look for our record to come out soon.  Oh yea, Jon plays guitar, Abby is on the drums, and of course, Susan is our lead vocalist.

I love my computer.  It is my friend.  I laugh with it, well at least with some of the sites and emails people send me.  I cry with it, again, at some emails or when it doesn’t work.  I especially cry when my wife uses it.  She has this electrical field or aura that interferes with computers.  This has been going on for years.  It is to the point where I don’t let her touch my work computer.  I love my computer because it keeps me in touch with family and friends and the world.

But my computer is starting to age.  I though dogs age fast, but computers grow old faster than anything else.  I think a computer year is about 20 of our human years, unless of course my wife has used it, and then you have to add a couple.  I have the same computer at home as I use here.  The one at home is on its last leg and I haven’t even had it as long.

Today a friend, Jim came in and showed me his new computer.  It is like a guy with a new car.  “Here, feel how light it is.  She’s quick and doesn’t leave spots on my pants.”  (It is a laptop.)  Okay, he didn’t really say that, but it sounded funny because a guy had to leave a piece of plywood in my drive way so his car didn’t leave an oil spot.

Well, in any case, I love my computer.  So here is the question.  Can I bring my computer on vacation?  My wife won’t get jealous, I just won’t let her use it.  Is it still a vacation when I come back and there are hundreds of emails to catch up on, and then I am swamped when I get back, or can I spend a little time each day, staying in touch, etc.?  Wouldn’t that be better than watching something on TV?

I await your decision.  Of course, if you say no, I will just bring my IPhone.

Aren’t things supposed to slow down in the summer?  They are always exciting at First Trinity.  Here are some of the special moments:

• Friday we had our community carnival.  It is a time to invite the kids in the area to come and play games and give free prizes.  It is a lot of fun, but a lot of work.  Thanks Michelle.  I got to work a couple of games and had fun talking to the kids.
• Saturday worship was great.  Doreen played the organ for the first service.  And Mary, our former secretary was visiting.
• Then half of the people in the later service were visitors.  That is always great.
• Sunday morning, no water in the worship center, so it started off good.  We had a baptism, which is a thrill.  God is good.
• The Reptile man (is that his real name) did the Bible class hour.  He is very entertaining and the animals were great.
• We were surprised to see a work camp team from Wisconsin show up for worship.  That is always a blessing.  Then the V.B.S. kids sang.  I loved it.
• I barely walked out of church and heard a dear child of God died.  A young 18 year old member.  Sad news.
• Then the First Trinity golf tourney.  It was fun.  My first golf outing in a year.  I played fairly well the first nine holes, and then really depended on Dan to carry me the second nine.  We came in fourth.
• Then dinner for the golfers and prizes at my house.  Susan and the kids were awesome.  They really got the place ready because I was at the hospital.
• In the midst of all of that, the Girlfriends were showing up for a movie at our house.  There were so many members here I wanted to take an offering.

First Trinity is a great family to be a part of.   I appreciate all of you.

Reading Jason’s blog got me to thinking, “How many blogs have I written?”  The answer is around 142 or something.  Not really memorable.  The question I want to get at is how many people are reading my blog.

I appreciate both of you.  Seriously, there is even a graph that lets you know your big days and low days.  Mine looks like a Richter scale measuring a huge earthquake.  (For one of you two readers, my graph goes up and down like a child on a pogo stick.)  I can’t find a rhyme or reason for following other than saying, “Hi mom.”  Even my wife only reads this occasionally.

I found myself trying to teach Izzy to read by point at the letters on my blog site.  I’m hoping to move my readership up to three.  Maybe I could just go to a couple of libraries and log on and leave comments with anonymous names like, faithful fan, or regular reader, or Sue.

Maybe more pictures would help.

I know it is a cheap way to get people to visit, but it works.  Who couldn’t love that picture?

So, to my faithful readers, thanks and I will see you when I get home.

Splish Splash I was taking a bath…  What a crazy weekend.  Here are just a few of the special moments:

• Saturday was fairly uneventful, for the most part.  Oddly enough, we noticed a little puddle in the back of the church.  Jim hurriedly mopped it up and that was that.
• Sunday morning rolled around.  I get there early as always to pray through the sanctuary and offer the day to God.  As I am walking through, I heard a splashing sound and my feet began to feel damp.  Hum, what could it be?  Yes, the sanctuary was flooded.  Not just a little wet, flooded.  So I hurried and called Mike Z.  Then I got the shop vac and called Susan W, Susan S and Susan B. (not Anthony – the other Susan B).  They got into action as well.
• The decision was made to hold 8:45 worship in the gym (a.k.a Celebration).  While some cleaned up the sanctuary, the rest of us set up Celebration for worship.  It went really well.  Everyone contributed and worked together.  It went off without a hitch thanks to God’s people.  It was actually a fun worship time despite the inconvenience.
• The crew got the sanctuary ready for 11:15 and we were able to worship back there.  It was a great blessing.
• I am so grateful for the family of God at First Trinity.
• The work camp crew came home at 6:30.  Not only has the church been put back together, but so has the family.
• God is good.

Last week was crazy!  There was all kinds of activity and people running around.  We had over 190 kids in Vacation Bible School.  There were meetings.  Youth were getting ready for work camp.  Excitement filled the air.

This week is just the opposite.  It couldn’t be more quiet.  The stage is down.  Kids are back in their routines.  The youth are gone.  Most of the staff are gone on vacation or conferences or work camp.

Even our home is empty.  Jon and Abby are at work camp.  There are no kids at home.  Susan and I have enjoyed our time together without having to run the kids here and there.  But it will be great to have them home.

While I am getting a lot done this week, I miss the excitement of Vacation Bible School.   To help, every hour or so Kathy runs up and down the hall outside my office, screaming and talking like Skeeter.  Now if I could just get her to make me one of those cool snacks we had at V.B.S.