Happy Birthday!

As of Monday, Andrew is 2! He had a great birthday, including dirt cake (complete with gummy worms, his favorite part). He also made quite a haul in the toy department. We got him a Plasma Car. "Nanna and Poppa" got him a Batman Big Wheel, and "Gramps and Grandma" got him a Little Einstein Rocket (which Jonathan has appropriated as his new favorite toy) and a big purple ball (suitable for bouncing on).

After his nap, we went to the Blackhand Gorge for a bike ride, where we took some fun pictures of the boys. After that, we picked up some take-out and had a picnic at a park in Granville (and the boys had a great time playing). We "met" a family like ours there - possibly the first family we've seen who actually behaves like we do when at the park (actively playing with their kids instead of just sitting on a bench and watching the kids). Jonathan and their older son Drew (both four) had a great time playing together. Then (at a reasonable time) their parents told them it was time to go home so they could get baths and read books. Sounds like us!

We all had a happy Andrew's birthday!

Quote of the Day

"Whenever you see, in an official lectionary, the command to omit two or three
verses, you can normally be sure that they contain words of judgment.
Unless, of course, they are about sex."

N. T. Wright Surprised By Hope

Here's one for all the Napoleon Dynamite fans:



Picture taken right here in Millersport, Ohio.

Do You Know What I Love?

I love talking to people who are working in some area of ministry who say, "This job is like paradise!" I was talking to someone today who was sorting food for our emergency food bank, and that's exactly what she said.

I love it!

And guess what... I am working the best possible job ever. I get paid to share Jesus Christ with people and to empower them to share Him with others! It's mind-blowing to even imagine how lucky I am to get to do this.

I'm just livin' the dream.

Evangelism

There's something about sharing the Gospel that can be scary. I understand that. But please don't give the "I don't know what to say" excuse.

Why not?

This weekend, as we traveled up to see part of my family, Jonathan (age 4) told us that he "wanted to tell Grandma Skelly about Jesus."

So when we got there, he went to her and told her the following:

I want to tell you about Jesus. The bad people put him up on a cross. And they put nails in his feet and in his hands to keep him there. And he died. But then he came back alive!

I asked him where Jesus is now.

He responded: He lives in heaven, but he is in my heart.

A four year old gave a clear Gospel presentation. I think you can, too.

An Embarrassing revelation and a Cool Visit

It's kind of embarrassing to admit that I hadn't seen some of my relatives in as long as it's been, but it's true.

In fact, one cousin, Jeff, the creator of the "project cottage" (who has also recently become "the oldest person on facebook") is one such relative. The last time I'd seen him, his daughter was a very well-behaved 10 year old. Now she's a (just as well-behaved, I'm sure) college sophomore.

That's the background info.

Anyway, this weekend, we decided to make a trip north. As I mentioned before, my grandmother has been seeing an angel lately, and we know she's nearing the end of this particular part of her life. We really wanted to go visit her before she died.

We originally were going to go as part of our yearly trip to Michigan, but unfortunately, the week we could get the "cottage" happened to be the same week that Tara was playing in the Lancaster Festival. We were so disappointed, mostly because that's a great time we get to spend with Tara's family, but also because we were hoping to see Granny on the way back.

So we planned out a trip - it worked out really well because two of Tara's cousins are pregnant and they planned a baby shower for them this past Saturday in Chicago. That made South Bend a very convenient stop! This way I could bring the boys there and we could stay overnight while Tara went on to Chicago.

Although we didn't plan for a family reunion, that's kind of what happened. While Tara was seeing all of her family (or, at least all of the women in her family), almost everyone showed up at my Aunt's house!

First of all, Jeff (of the project cottage) came by with his family. When I was a kid, I was scared of him; he was enough bigger than me (and 3 years older) that when he made a threat, I was sure he would follow through (come to think of it, I can't remember him ever laying a hand on me; I guess he didn't need to). That coupled with my brother's mind control techniques made me quiver in fear like a fearful-quivery-scared-guy-thingy. Anyway, he's grown up and isn't scary anymore (unless you're his daughter's potential boyfriend, in which case I'm sure he would play the scary card again). In fact, it was great to see him.

Then the parade continued as my parents, my brother-in-law, and my two nephews all showed up. It was a loud, fun madhouse - poor Grandma was overstimulated! It was a great visit, and I've vowed not to let another 8 years go by without seeing that part of the family.

Angels Among Us

Last night I went to a prayer vigil for Dennis, a local boy who has been given 1-3 weeks to live (due to brain cancer, which he has been fighting for multiple years).

They had a speaker system set up and at one point they played the Alabama song Angels Among Us. At this point I was talking to someone I've met around town, and I told her that my grandmother has been having regular angel visits (my mom initially told me about them, but Grandma confirmed it by telling me about the angel - she told me that he never lets her see his face, and I expect that he will one day...).

Anyway, I was told that Dennis has been seeing angels as well. Furthermore, when he came home from the hospital, a dove showed up by his house and hasn't left. There are various folklore explanations as to why this dove might be there, and it could be that it has lived nearby for years and was never noticed until someone "wanted" to notice it (possibly because they knew of the folklore explanation), but that doesn't explain the angel sighting, or the fact that my mother, who does a lot of hospice chaplain work, has experienced many multiple people who, near death, have seen angels.

When I started in ministry, I asked a colleague, Eldon, who worked with me as visitation pastor (and is also a very good funeral director - I want him to do my funeral) how he gets through funerals. He told me what a precious time it is with a family; that this is the one time in this mortal life that they come closest to the immortal, when the veil is thinnest.

I don't pretend that I "get" it, but that's OK. It still makes sense to me, and I'm OK with the mystery. All I know is that there is more going on than we can see...

Excitement at a wedding

I have always said that my main job during a wedding is to help the service go smoothly - to calm the frazzled nerves of people who don't remember when they're supposed to do what.

Part of that is showing up on time (my first fear of weddings is that I'll show up late - the other fear is that I'll call the couple by the wrong names - that's why I have the service copied with the names filled in every time I'm supposed to call them by name).

Another main job is to keep Christ central - the wedding is a commitment to one another, but it's also a commitment to Jesus Christ.

I have to add to my list, however. Reminding the wedding party to "flex their knees." I had a groomsman keel over yesterday, right after the couple said their vows, all of a sudden, everyone hears a huge THUMP as he hits the ground. He later told us that the last thing he heard was me starting the vows with the husband... we went through both their vows before he hit the ground.

There was an EMT, a doctor, and a hospice nurse who all helped him out, and he ended up OK. But we'll all remember the excitement.