It is wonderful to be loved. My wife loves me, and it is a wonderful blessing. A gift from her is always a gift of love that keeps on giving.

She has observed on numerous occasions that I practically melt when I hear wind chimes. As an example, a couple of summers ago we were dashing through a garden shop to pick up some bedding plants for her garden, and I was arrested by a display of several wind chimes of varying sizes and shapes. She patiently stood by while I played with them and sampled their sounds. She didn’t attempt to discourage me or hurry me. She even feigned interest by asking which one I liked most.

Then we continued on to the bedding plants.

Imagine my astonishment when—months later on my birthday—I opened a set of chimes which she had secretly ordered and kept hidden. WOW! Not only had she remembered the model I favored in the store; she also researched them online and found a less expensive source, AND had them delivered in time for my birthday celebration. I had been clueless about her scheme, and was truly amazed at its revelation. [Read more…]

Well, we have arrived. Happy New Year! We made it through the hubbub of the holidays, and have rounded the corner into a new year. Everything goes back to “normal,” whatever that is.

In the past month, we have made some changes here at FaithSearch. Working with an outside contractor, we have created a new online resource center. It is the first step in entirely renovating our online presence. Stay tuned for some significant upgrades.

For now, our ministry resources are available in a more streamlined shopping experience. Giving to FaithSearch online is now easier than ever, allowing you to clearly choose a ministry project, a field of ministry, or to support and learn about each individual staff member. [Read more…]

I have been transcribing an old journal from 1976. It is brining up faded memories of my early faith walk. It is amazing to see: a) how far I’ve come in my faith walk in the nearly four decades since; and b) how I still wrestle with some of the same issues I was dealing with at the beginning; and c) how God has not changed over the decades, and that the One I was first discovering then still holds my future and my hope.

The occasion of the journal review and transcription was my daughter’s recent return from a post-college “grand tour” of Europe. She asked if I had a journal from my college trip, and if so could she read it. I had to find it, dig it out, and read it myself, which was both a pleasant and a painful experience. It was also a reminder that my handwriting is much more like a private code than it is a medium for communication. So I determined that I would attempt to decipher and digitize my descriptions of the trip, so I could share them with her without confusion or eyestrain.

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For some reason, I’m particularly struck this year by the contrast between the “holiday” being celebrated around me, and the “holy day” of Christmas which lies somewhere behind—WAY behind—all the hype and hoopla. It’s a b-i-g g-a-p, and it’s a bit overwhelming and discouraging at times. So, Merry -almost- Christmas!

Perhaps it was reading about the first century shepherd-priests who would have recognized in the angel’s announcement that the baby born in Bethlehem, who was “wrapped in swaddling cloths” (just as were their newborn lambs—those intended for temple sacrifice were likewise wrapped to protect them from injury and blemish). He was destined for eternity-altering events, as evidenced even by His manner of birth (details in our ministry Christmas letter). This is real stuff and it happened in history. AMAZING! It has nothing, however, to do with shopping and extended hours and traffic congestion and lights and tinsel.

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