the guy with the watch!

Even in a parade, i am the guy with the watch! silly picture i know, but i love those old days, the parade is flying by, and i love to remember how you have grown and how time has changed us. the watch is a reminder that i am on the "watch" for you guys, for my friends and that i will try to make my self valuable to you by keeping watch during your "parade-time" and not by directing the parade for you. i just hope it is enough to say that you are loved and that you are never far from my thoughts.

it is monday morning, and as usual, it is a good day to start off the week and to get a head start on the next few weeks. they are some of the crazies times of the year for us. Christmas always brings us lots of extra activities, and sad to say frustration seems to follow hand in hand with the season that should bring families and believers closer together. sad to say, i need to have someone remind me to stop being scrooge every christmas, because i get the “ bah, humbug” syndrome too easily. there are time pressures, and disappointed people who didn’t get the “pony” they asked for, or something like it, and are disappointed to say the least as they enter into this season.

we had ken idleman in from ozark for the weekend to preach and talk about giving. we were challenged to revisit a passage in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 which give some great promises for us as believers. it is hard to grow in this area, but marge and i have both learned to see the reward side for ourselves. i am sorry to say that we haven’t taught you guys as well as we should, it is so personal to talk about politics, sex and money. i apologize for not doing a better job of teaching in these areas.

i am working on the narnia series, we are decorating an old “wardrobe” and are preparing photoshop documents for the whole series. i love the kids in the book, and hope that we are able to bring them to life this christmas season. if we can make the magic of the book and the magic of the christmas story tie together with integrity, that will be a fete worth doing. i do struggle with the “gimmicky” side of this stuff. it helps people to get excited, and is worth the effort if we do things well, and for the right reason. a lot of what i do is juggle these events, and aspects of corporate worship. jeri lacey is coming in to paint a winter scene on the back of an old “wardrobe” we have put in the foyer, with a stuffed lion on top, and a “stone table” beside it. this will dominate the area, and our excitement as we assemble. the first book is the lion, the witch and the wardrobe. it is the most overtly religious, so much so that tolkein even disagreed (very strongly i read) and tried to persuade lewis to throw the original into a fireplace.

Misty, i am praying for you today. i hope you can deal with some of the allergy issues, and also that you can find peace about language stuff, ministry issues, and life in general. just know that you are a daily joy for me. ken and kaylene asked about you and wanted to let you know they were thinking about you and that they appreciated the things you shared with OCC for the special offering last year. It is nearing bed time for you as i post this, and i will pray that you sleep better tonite, knowing you are loved and are such a joy to me.

Jodi, they also asked about you and both remembered meeting you at the missionary convention. as i am writing this, it is 1:45 in the middle of the night, i hope that you are sleeping well, and that you are knowing that you are loved and watched over as you sleep. i wonder what God is going to do with you and for you and in you the next few months, i only know that you have already given so much to all those who know you.

Matt, i have been enjoying mom’s efforts on photoshop, and each step of the way, i am more amazed at the gift you have for creating the things in the original way that you do. you have a wonderful eye for stuff, and even when i don’t understand it, i know you represent a view of reality that is valid and often excellent, even if i don’t understand. (i am talking about graphics, but much more as you can imagine) anyway, we are in the same time so i know what you are doing, sort of, time-wise, but you are farther ahead of me in many areas and that makes me glad. i pray for you to enjoy this time of growth and learning and see what happens in your life as you go.

for all three of you, we are pursuing ideas for finishing the breezeway and garage for a better place to use for stuff, and it will be a good thing for all of us. thanks for being better than me... dada