Farewell to a Faithful Friend

 

we tearfully said goodbye to our family dog, terra nova, today. she has been with us for nearly 15 years, 

our children grew up with her, and she has been a faithful friend and companion. 

i will be posting pictures of terra throughout the years on this shutterfly share page.

advent prayers for our families

during the holiday season "family" is especially on our mind. since advent is the season of lamenting our darkness and asking god to shine his light on us, we pray that he will cast out the shadows of sin that hinder our dearest relationships and fill our hearts and homes with the light of his holy love.

we pray three things for our children and grandchildren regularly—

#1: that they will get established in life with good healthy family relationships and meaningful vocations that provide for their needs and make the world a better place.

#2: that they will become established in their faith so that trust in God will be the true foundation for their perspectives and choices.

#3: that they will love what is good and find joy and pleasure in things that will not only bring genuine satisfaction in this life, but also eternal rewards.

how are you praying for your family these days?


today's van gogh
cluster of old houses with the new church in the hague, 1882

what a weekend...

it was a weekend of...

• tracing memories that elicit smiles,

• enjoying much good and edifying family togetherness and interaction,

• gorging ourselves on loads of great food,

• relishing the most perfect november weather one could wish for,

• living and dying with all the ups and downs of an amazing football game,

• wiping away the tears of realizing that this is the last time we'll attend a sporting event on a home field for one of our children,

• swelling up with pride for all that our son is becoming, and continuing to pray that he and our other children will find themselves, through christ, established in life, established in faith, and filled with love for what is good,
  

• being grateful for family and friends that have supported and encouraged us throughout the years,

• worshiping with gratitude on sunday and praising the true and living god, who created all things good and gave them to us to enjoy with thanksgiving.

"For what God gives I thank indeed;
What He withholds I do not need."
(Martin Luther)

a week away...

thanks to tom and joyce pickard, and their ministry of providing "christian pastor retreat" cabins, so that those in ministry can have some "sabbath" rest at a reasonable cost, gail and i traveled to northern tennessee last week to enjoy several days of relaxation and hiking. We had quite a bit of rain, which cut our activities down a little, but we were still able to enjoy many of the wonderful sights in the Tennessee and nearby Kentucky hills. the trip was extra special for gail and i, since it was our first "empty nest" trip together.

if you would like to see some of our pictures from the trip, you can see them at our tenn trip 2009 shutterfly share site. enjoy!


today's van gogh
at the foot of the mountains, 1889












view from sunset overlook
big south fork national river and rec area