Update From The Travelers

Just in case anyone is checking here - I just talked to Dad a little bit ago.
They made it to Florida safe and sound - their flights went great. The flight from Harrisburg to Charlotte was actually a little early.
The only complaint (if you want to call it that) was that it is so warm down there and they're not used to that in January!
Thanks For Dropping In!
P.S. - I tried posting this on Dad's blog but it didn't work - hopefully it will work here!

Fulfilling God's Call

Our Sunday School lesson this morning was titled "The Call To Service."
This lesson was looking at the issue of all Christians being called to do something and not just focusing on preachers, evangelists, and missionaries. Even considering that, I think that - considering his own calls throughout the course of his years of ministry - my Dad was very qualified to teach this lesson. I may be a bit biased, but, so be it!
After having served for quite a few years in the role of an assistant pastor(at the Lewistown God's Missionary Church), Sunday School teacher, fill-in minister, and nursing home ministry (which he feels was a call in itself) - he felt that God was leading him to step out into the area of being a pastor.
Let me point out here that there was no human reason for him to do this. He had a good job and was being offered a better job within the factory where he was working (the same factory where I am now working).
In the spring of 1988 we started going out for "trial services" (a very appropriate name!) in different churches.
To make a long story short, in July of 1988, we moved to Berwick, PA to pastor the God's Missionary Church there after God very clearly told Dad that's where he should go.
In 1996, after eight years at Berwick, God asked Dad if he would go to Lewistown to pastor. Dad, not knowing that the church at Lewistown even needed a pastor said yes. The condition that he eventually put on this agreement was that the people at Lewistown had to come to him - which happened a few months later!
Suffice it to say - in July of 1996, we moved back to Lewistown to pastor our former home church. This, despite our Conference General Superintendant's assuring the Lewistown people that Dad wouldn't leave Berwick!
Hopefully, after reading this, you can get a little bit of an idea - even though I left out a lot of details - why I said what I did about Dad teaching a lesson on "The Call To Service."
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Finally Done - Here It Is!

I said that I would try to post a picture of the project that I've been working on in the shop. Well, here it is! This is a project that I had started back some time ago and just got back to finishing it over the last week or so.
It measures 21 inches wide and is 13 1/4 inches high.
It is made up of 96 individual pieces of wood - not counting the backing board or the dowels holding the shotgun shells - and yes, those are real shotgun shells!
There are seven different kinds of wood in this project - walnut, aromatic cedar, poplar, purpleheart, birch, maple, and oak.
I just thought I would share this picture of one of my hobbies with you. Believe it or not (some people can't) this is one of the ways that I relax now!
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Another Week!

I just wanted to pop in and let you know I'm still around.
We're getting ready to finish up another busy week at work - it sounds like tomorrow could be pretty busy too.
I've been working on a special project in the shop - I may post pictures of that in the next couple of days.
Around home here - it's been pretty much business as usual!
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The End Of The Weekend!

Well, here we are at the end of another weekend. Is it just me, or do the weekends seem to fly by faster than the rest of the days of the week? Maybe it's because I look forward to them so much!
Friday evening we went to some friends' house and played a whole game of dominoes. I lost - as usual! We had a good time!
Saturday I got a chance to work in the shop for a while. In the afternoon we went away and out to eat. It was great just to be together as a family! I worked in the shop for a little while in the evening.
Sunday has been pretty much a normal day - Church in the morning and evening and rest in the afternoon!
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Possession or Profession?

Dad preached a tremendous message tonight on "Possession or Profession?"
After he read the Scripture, he proceeded to ask the people if they would believe him if he told them that he had a million dollars with him.
He then preached a great message on the need to not only profess Jesus Christ, but also to possess Him.
See the pictures below for the rest of the story on the million dollars!
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He set the bag with the money in it out for all the people to see - just to keep them wondering!

Yes, he does possess it - but is it worth anything?

This is what the money looks like up close.
Once he pulled it out of the bag, Dad's point was that while he did possess what he said he did, it was worthless.

A Beautiful Sunrise

This is part of the sunrise that we saw this morning. This picture doesn't do it justice, but it was beautiful!
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!