This week, we experienced the first “cold” days of Fall. Our morning temperature was forty-one degrees! That may not seem cold for many but after years on Florida’s Treasure Coast, it is wintertime for us. After another Texas summer of oppressive heat, I’ve lately enjoyed my morning quiet times with tea or coffee on our back porch. It has been a haven of rest and a refuge from the storms of life.
We are grateful for this, another opportunity to share with you about our family and ministry. After forty-seven years of pastoral-missional ministry, we are richly blessed by your friendship and partnership in the gospel. Yesterday, I took most of the day and reviewed our correspondence. I’m humbled by the many friends and partners who have supported us with care and concern, prayer and support for these many years.
You will never know how much you have added to our joy and pleasure as a family. So many have prayed for us, many have supported our ministry, some have joined us in ministry on the mission field and in the churches we have served.
Now, as we have done many times before, we ask ourselves, “Who are we that God would bless our family and ministry so much?” The answer is simple, yet profound; he is our heavenly Father and we are his dearly loved children. Thank you for being such a significant part of our lives then and now. How we wish that we could see your faces and hug your necks again!
My Confession
At the outset of this Check-Up, I have a confession to make. It has been a very hard year for us. Please, allow me to share what has been a frustrating, anxious, and difficult time. We previously mentioned that we started a business with Nathan, our son and his wife, Cari. They contributed a small lot in town that Nate purchased, and we financed the construction of a two-story building.
The plan was for Nathan to rent the downstairs for his studio. We planned to have three small apartments upstairs. We considered selling The Pink House to live in one of the apartments and renting out the other two for additional retirement income. At least that was the plan until the contractor took advantage of us.
He took advantage of us, failing to deliver to the job site materials that we purchased. He also pocketed money we paid him for several phases of construction. The loss was so great that we could not finish the project. So, we must sell the project at a loss of fifty-nine percent (59%) on our investment. Besides, Nathan experienced the death of his dream, having his own studio.
In the past twelve months, I have not thought, spoken, or behaved toward Ellen (and others) as I should. No, I haven’t cursed or yelled at anyone (at least not out loud!). Yet unkind thoughts and words (on top of our financial loss) have made this a super challenging “school of discipleship” and, perhaps, the most difficult of our forty-seven years of marriage. There it is. You thought we were perfect (ha-ha) but we are far from it.
Closing was scheduled for yesterday, Thursday morning, October 17th at 9:30 AM. But on the half-hour drive to the title company in Mt. Pleasant, we received a phone call from the title company because the insurance underwriter binding the transaction wants to wait another month. It is hard to express how frustrated we are with another delay.
For months we have said that we need a break, a time to get away. We thought that we might make a short trip to see the Passion Play, Christ of the Ozarks, in Eureka Springs, AR. A little farther out and farther away is the possibility of Thanksgiving with my sister Crystal and her family in southeastern PA (Birdsboro and Pottstown). Yesterday’s delay has put us on hold again, and I wish I could say that I was a model of how to perfectly respond to this setback.
Some of what I have shared with you explains why we have “gone dark” for six months. I’m sorry that we did not write when we most needed your prayers. I have learned some unpleasant things about myself during this time. I’m not as wise as I wish to be at this age and stage of life.
God always answers prayer:
Although Ellen was diagnosed with osteoporosis earlier this year, and although the expensive treatments are not covered by our health care provider, Ellen manages well. We aren’t upset about her not getting the expensive treatments because there are terrible side effects, such as breaking bones! Go figure.
Cari narrowly escaped a brush with death, due to sepsis. She has lost a lot of weight, but she seems to have stabilized in some ways. She has retained a lawyer to help her apply for disability.
Our relationship with Nathan continues to develop. Our main reason for leaving Florida was to be near to him. Our relationship with Nathan continues to grow. Just two weeks ago, Nathan and I openly discussed life and death, religion and faith in Christ, the nature of truth and authority.
God is the source of our hope:
For years I have expressed that our hope is not in government. Our hope is not in political parties or candidates.
My hope is in the Lord, who gave his life for me;
And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.
For me he died, for me he lives,
And everlasting light and life he freely gives.
(--Norman J. Clayton)
It is God who restores our fortunes. We have food, clothing, and shelter. In fact, I do have a greater appreciation for our barely one-acre “homestead,” The Pink House. We are blessed with dependable transportation, and we have enough to share. With this, we should be content. After all, we are also blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies! Cf. Ephesians 1.
God is great; God is good.
Though my family of origin was not an authentic Christian home, we did learn some rote prayers. The subheading of this paragraph is the first line of a prayer that we learned as children.
God is great; God is good.
Let us thank Him for our food.
By his grace we’re daily fed;
Give us, Lord, our daily bread.
(--Unknown)
This simple prayer has theological depth. The line that I have relied on in our darkest days is that God is great, and that God is good. His is sovereign over all. In his providence, the Lord protects and provides for us. Abraham’s statement of faith in his prayers for Sodom and his nephew, Lot, elaborates on God’s character. When he said, “Will not the judge of all the earth do right?”, Abraham affirmed the Lord’s justice and righteousness along with his goodness and greatness. Dear friends, this is the God we serve. He is our God, and we are his people! May we be found faithful in times of tragedy and triumph, or when we are tested or tried. Let us remember this,
God never moves without purpose or plan;
When trying his servant or molding a man.
Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long;
In darkness, he giveth a song!
(--Ron Hamilton)
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