My Favorite Season

      I am thankful that I live in an area where we can experience all four seasons.  The variety is very special.  However, there is no question that Fall is definitely my favorite season and I wish that it lasted a little longer. It is so hard to see it end! If only Summer and especially Winter were just a month shorter.  Here are a few of the reasons I love the Fall.
1.   The beautiful colors - there is nothing more spectacular in nature than God's handiwork in the Fall.  The oranges, browns, reds, yellows with some green sprinkled in, can be amazing.  I love to drive through the mountains and observe miles of beauty.  Unfortunately this year the time of beauty was short and there weren't too many reds, but it was still beautiful.

       2.     The cooler temperatures - I really love this time because we can sleep with covers on at night and yet it is not bitterly cold as it gets in the Winter.  It is nice to be able to wear a light jacket outside and not get soaked with perspiration as we do in the Summer.

       3.     Savings in bills - during this season the ac can usually be turned off, cutting down the electric bills.  The heat isn't needed yet so I save on oil costs which continue to rise.  This really helps in the family budget.

       4.     Football - football, especially college football, has become my favorite sport and Saturdays can be filled with exciting games.  I like baseball, but the game is slow and so long without much action. I also like basketball but the pros are overpaid and the NCAA tournament is too short - although I do enjoy that.  But there is nothing like watching a fast paced football game, especially if you can go and watch it in person, especially at Penn State or at a local high school.   We haven't been able to afford going to Penn State as we used to, but I have been able to get to many of Penn Manor's games, and they have had great teams recently.  Another plus is that I can get into the Penn Manor home games without a charge and that is a plus for the budget.

      5.    Mums - I think mums are my favorite flower and I love to see them bloom in such a variety of beautiful colors.  I have enjoyed visits to Eve's Garden, near Millersville, where she had a huge field of beautiful mums to sell.  It was fun just to view them.

      6.    The smell of burning leaves -  this is a unique smell in this season which is hard to describe if you never smell it.  It lets you know that Fall is here.

       7.     Corn stalks and pumpkins - unfortunately they signal the close of this special season but it is special to travel through Lancaster County and see the fields filled with these.  More of God's beauty during this season.

        But alas the season must come to an end and then we prepare for the dark nights, the cold weather and the snow of Winter.  But there is the joy in knowing that Fall will return again.  I am reminded of the words from the great hymn, "Summer and winter and springtime and harvest ... join with all nature is manifold witness, to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love."  So take some time while you still can to enjoy the special beauty of the Fall and as you do, thank God for His great faithfulness!

A Great Experience

I think it has been about nine years since we have taken a real vacation - a time away from home without any responsibilities or schedule to keep.  Now we have been on many trips, but they have been business related or to visit relatives. They aren't really vacations. We've been to Chicago and Pittsburgh for Awana training, to Wisconsin several times to visit with aging relatives, and to Pinebrook many times, usually to help in their programs.  Before I retired, we used to take long weekends away, but that hasn't happened for years.  Since retiring, our responsibilities with Awana, with Bible studies, with weekly church finances, church music, elections, etc. have sort of tied us down. I guess I am very old fashioned, but we feel a responsibility to be there when we make a commitment.  And then, of course, being retired our budget has placed some limits on what we can do.

My wife has always wanted to go to the shore during the Fall.  Now I really don't care for the sand, swimming in the ocean, or sub bathing.  But I do enjoy watching and listening to the waves roll in.  So this year I began to search the internet to find something that we could afford and enjoy.  And I was very fortunate to find a three day special at the Courtyard by Marriott in Ocean City, Maryland during a period that we could fit in between Sunday church finances and Wednesday night Awana.

We actually found a great location in a rather new hotel right on the beach.  We had an ocean facing room with a balcony.  We never got in the water, but we strolled the boardwalk several times a day, sat on the balcony and watched the waves and the people, read, wrote and relaxed.  There were very few people there - enough to make it interesting, but certainly not crowded. I think 70% looked "old" like us and about 25% had their dogs with them. The weather was just right.  It was just a perfect vacation that we needed, especially after about a month of various sicknesses.

However, one of the highlights of the week was finding a Chick-Fil-A just a few miles away.  There weren't many eating places open during this off season and those that were open were very expensive.  We have never spent much money on big meals, and once again, we are living on a budget.  Now we had only ever eaten once before at a Chick-Fill-A, when we were in Pittsburgh, but we have read of their admirable stands on moral issues as well as their refusal to open on Sundays. I have always appreciated their standing behind their convictions despite the possible resulting reduction in profits.

What we found was an amazingly clean store with a large variety of chicken products.  Everyone was extremely friendly and well dressed. Someone even came to our table and asked if they could give us a refill on our drink.  On our return, on the second day, the clerk at the counter actually remembered us and called me by name.  Of course, maybe I was so strange that she couldn't forget me.  But I hope not. The food was great.  In fact we took home salads to eat later in our room and they were fresh and great. It was just such a contrast to Wendys where we usually eat after church on Sundays.  It probably sounds strange, but our experiences there just topped off a great vacation.  My only regret is that we don't have a Chick-Fil-A close to us in Millersville.  If only they would build one in the new plaza on the New Danville Pike near Comet Field.  But I understand that they are asking "an arm and a leg" to rent or buy a location there.  But they will now be on my search list for a place to stop as we travel.  It is so very special today to see a firm with a good product and good moral convictions.  I guess that is the way it used to be in this country before it became politically incorrect to have both.

Lord willing we will be back to this motel and to Chick-Fil-A once again.  A+ to both!

A Great Reunion

        Hopefully this will be the last blog for awhile that I write concerning things during the past 50 years of my life.  However, I do want to share some observations from my recent 50th class reunion at Susquehanna University, in Selinsgrove, because it turned out to be a very special day.  I almost didn't go since I didn't have many close friends at SU.  My physics classes were very small and my math classes weren't much larger.  I didn't belong to a fraternity and I spent my final year commuting.  Much of my spare time was spent traveling with the football and basketball teams, working on campus, visiting family in the area, participating in church services and activities in Sunbury, and dating my wife to be.  And my very best friend, Jim Herrold, my roommate for two years, passed away over a year ago. So I really didn't have many friends there.  But fortunately, I chose to attend.

         As it turns out, three of my best friends, members of the basketball team, were there and we really enjoyed being with them and their wives.  During the four years that I was there, SU probably had the best basketball record of any four years in SU history.  The fellows on the team were fun to be around - they were clean cut and mature.  Our captain was about eight years older than the rest of us, had four children, worked 40 hours a week and commuted from Shamokin every day.  He led the league in rebounding. An amazing story. Another good friend was one of SU's top scorers.  And my roommate the first year was the team manager.  It was fun to talk about the "good old days" with them.  The two players looked like they could play tomorrow.  In fact, the scorer, still plays in an over 70 league and his team has competed for national titles.

           It was very interesting to see how folks have changed.  Some have really aged and a few even had canes.  But many seemed to be in very good shape for being about 72. I'm not sure where I fit in, but many humored me by saying that I hadn't changed much. Yeah, right!  And everyone was so friendly - even those who I hardly knew or remembered acted like long lost friends.  I guess wer were 50 year survivors and had that in common.  Even the spouses were very friendly - my wife had no trouble striking up conversations with many of the wives who were there.

          One of the highlights was getting to see my physics professor who I had for all four years.  He came to SU when we came there and he finally retired last year.  I had seen him twice before since I graduated.  One day we visited SU's tremendous new science building and I was fortunate enough to see him then.  And, I was amazed that he knew me right away - I must have made some sort of impression on him - either good or bad.  But he always was very friendly and interested in his students and I was glad that he came to our reunion to see some of us.

          Much has changed there over 50 years and SU now has a beautiful campus with top notch facilities.  The sports complex is amazing, although few of their teams can match those from our time there.  We saw a quarter or so of their football game against Moravian.  I think both teams looked smaller than our present high school team at Penn Manor.  Both teams hadn't won a game all year and SU was fortunate enough to finally gain a victory.  When we were there our team was one of the top small school football teams in the nation.  We even beat Temple.  Our coach was the father of the present head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

           The dormitories are also much improved.  Our class was the first large class in SU's expansion.  As a result, they were short of rooms.  My first year four of us were squeezed into what had been a storage room.  The second year, three of us were squeezed into a room in a building which burnt to the ground a few years later. That didn't surprise me. In my third year we enjoyed the luxury of a brand new dorm and I worked as a proctor there.  My old classrooms have been completely renovated and you barely can visualize what they had been.  And one more major difference.  When I went there it cost us about $10,000 per year.  Today it cost about $42,000 per year.  Wow!   But it is a great school with a great campus and staff.

          One final comment - 154 of us graduated in 1963.  About 84 of those contributed or pledged to a fund in honor of the man who served his first year as president when we arrived as freshmen.  That pledge amounted to $2,219,000!  Obviously many of the 84 must have had very successful careers and earned and saved quite a bit, much, much more than I did. But while I couldn't prove it with my meager donation, Susquehanna gave me a tremendous background and I have no regrets in going there.  If I could do it again, I would jump at the opportunity.  Those were great years and I thank God for leading me there.

Faithful Service

       In my last blog I talked about things that happened in my life 50 years ago. That was an important year in my life.  But after I wrote that, I thought of another important event that happened that year.  It might not seem too important to any of you, but that was the year my bride officially became a member of Faith Bible Fellowship Church in Lancaster.  Before we moved here she was a member of Emmanuel Bible Fellowship Church in Sunbury and my grandfather, Norman H. Wolf, was her pastor.

       During the past 50 years she has had a quiet but profound influence on the history and development of our church which was actually founded just 63 years ago.  Her first impact has been on the music.  She had been the church pianist in Sunbury and since her move here she has faithfully played both the piano and organ - solos and accompaniment. She was actually our first organist.  In addition, she has sung solos, in duets, trios, quartets and in the choir.  And for about 25 years she arranged the music schedules for all of our weekly worship services.  In addition, she has played for many, many weddings, funerals and other special events.  Working with me, we planned and directed the Christmas Eve service for about 25 years.

       She has been a teacher, teaching children for many years, and, in recent years, teaching  Bible studies for women.  She has worked for 32 years as cofounder and head secretary of our Awana program.   She helped teach and lead the senior high program for many years as well as the junior department in Sunday School. She served as an officer in the former Women's Missionary Society and also as a member of several church committees.  She helped start the Young Married Couples Group, the Middlers Fellowship Group, and the Primetimers Group.  Unfortunately, none of these fellowship groups exist today in our church.  She faithfully remembers the birthdays of many of our folks, including children, and many look forward to the cards she prepares annually.

       For 25 years she served as custodian of our building in Lancaster.  While she did receive some pay for this, she never had a paid vacation in 25 years. A few times family members had to fill in when she really couldn't be there.  That also meant that there often were very late nights to complete the work before we could leave for something like Pinebrook.  It meant cleaning after all big events, such as Bible School, weddings, funerals and special services.  That often included trying to clean up rice after weddings, which is almost impossible, as well as scraping wax off the benches and ironing the carpet to clean up the wax after Candlelight services.  Faithfully she served, behind the scenes, and few ever understood the time and energy that it took her to keep the church so nice and clean for services.

        Now she has never wanted praise or recognition for her service and she will probably be upset about me drawing attention to her.  She did receive a certificate from the church when she retired from cleaning.  But she has quietly served the Lord and His people here for 50 years.    She has been an example of a very faithful servant who has given her life to serving the Lord, often quietly, in the background.  I am so proud of what she has done and while she may never be rewarded here on earth, I know the Lord has a crown for her in glory.  And the things that I've mentioned here are just those done with our church.  It doesn't include the 25 years of family ministry, the 40 years of ministry at Pinebrook, teaching community women's Bible studies, or serving on the board of Bible Visuals and Chrsitian Womens Committees.

       Oh that more folks today would serve faithfully.  Today most won't take the time to do so.  They'd rather pay someone to do the work in church - look at how church staffs have grown.  And things, such as possessions and vacations seem to be more important.  Sports, the shore, and the mountains regularly draw people away from church and service today.  The Lord often seems to get just what is left over.  But in doing that, one misses the blessings that the Lord has for those servants who are faithful, and that is sad.

Golden Memories

Recently I was shopping at Cherry Hill Orchard in New Danville and I stopped to talk to the owner who had once been my boss during a summer that my brother and I spent picking cherries and apples in the two orchards he managed.  He asked me if I knew how many years ago it was that I had worked for him.  After thinking about it I suddenly recalled that it was 50 years ago - a half century ago.  He remembered because that was the year he built and opened his market.  Since then all the many acres of trees in the two different locations where we worked have all been been cut down and replaced by corn fields and new buildings.  It is so hard to realize that all of this is now gone, almost as hard as it is to believe that 50 years has passed since I worked there.

Since this meeting I have been doing much reminiscing.  So much happened in my life fifty years ago.  We had our first son that year and then four months later almost lost him when he had to undergo emergency surgery for a rare intestinal condition.  The emergency came just days after we moved back to Lancaster County to live in a country apartment in Silver Springs.  It was a miracle that a new doctor that we had just met recognized the symptoms in time to spare Craig's life.  He recognized them because he had seen one similar case, his own daughter.  That miracle is a special memory from 1963.

Fifty years ago I also graduated from Susquehanna University.  We hope to be going back there in October to attend Homecoming and meet classmates that I haven't seen for fifty years.  I'm sure they will all look older ... just like me.  However, I will really miss my roommate and best friend, Jim Herrold, who is now home in heaven.  That same year we also won the league championship in basketball with one of the best teams that Susquehanna has ever had.  For four years I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with the team as scorer and statistician. They were special men and  those are great memories, some of the best of my life.

   This was also the year I began my first teaching job.  At that time I had four interviews and four job offers -  Donegal, Elizabethtown, Hershey and Penn Manor.  It was a very hard decision to make, especially since my wife and I had both previously lived in Elizabethtown and had such good memories about that town.  But the Lord led me to accept Penn Manor's offer and my 39 years there showed that it was the correct decision.  I would later be offered jobs by Wagner College, Ephrata SD, and Manheim Twp. SD, but I was very content with my first choice.  The Lord gave me a great career there.

But one of my biggest memories of that year was the assassination of President Kennedy.  I was teaching an Algebra II class when the announcement came over the loud speaker.  All of us were stunned and there was complete silence in my classroom. It was one of those moments in life that you never forget. Schools were closed for days. We spent the time in Sunbury with my in-laws where we watched all the sad proceedings on television.  I especially remember being glued to the television when Jack Ruby was assassinated right in front of millions of viewers.  I can still picture that event in my mind fifty years later.

Yes, fifty years ago was a very memorable year for me - a half century ago.  My how time has flown.  Recently I asked my wife, "How did we get this old so fast?"  And for that question I have no answer.  But God has been so good to us and has richly blessed us,   And, it is good to hold on to such great memories.

Analyze This!

Did you ever take one of those personality tests that labels you one of four types or a mixture of two?   There are many of those tests around and they use different labels that mean the same thing.  The last one that I took was one that Awana uses and it labels you as one of four colors.  It was especially interesting because after our color was identified, we were given a group project to complete.  And after working with out group for several hours it was very easy to see all four colors at work in the individuals in our group.  It really helped us to see the theory applied.

Now these tests show that I am an analyzer, organizer, and administrator and that is certainly true.  That certainly coordinates with my interest and experience in mathematics and computers.  But it also shows that I am not very verbal and there is some truth to that.  I do like to write, but most of my 30+ years experience in working for newspapers involved writing where I wasn't rushed.  I could analyze and organize and then write.  The same is true of my blogs.  However, I'm not sure how I can justify that completely with my experience in the classroom.  For some reason, when I was in the classroom, my verbal deficiencies never bothered me.  They would come alive.  I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and miss it to this day.  Of course I taught math which was very logical.  And I think I handles myself well when I was leading our family ministry or when I lead hymn sings, etc.  But in those cases I do prepare most of my comments in advance.

I do not enjoy playing most games, especially those where you must perform before the group or those that involve things like trivia and fast thinking.  I need time to analyze and just don't enjoy being pressured to perform or come up with a quick answer. I avoid them whenever I can. But give me a problem or puzzle where I have time to analyze it and I will work and most likely solve it.   I once heard a Bible teacher, who was like me, say he was sure that there won't be games in heaven.  I've often hoped that he was right.

Now besides my dislike for games, my verbal limitations make me cringe when I need to participate in group discussions, including Bible studies.  Folks who are verbal can quickly respond while I sit there listening and analyzing before I am willing to make a response.  For about a dozen years I had to participate in a monthly administrative discussion group.  The majority of the participants were very verbal folks who always had responses, while I would sit and analyze.  My boss, who was very verbal but not very analytical, used to chastise me because I didn't participate more.  I dreaded those sessions and the pressure put on me to perform like all the verbal participants. That boss wasn't very tolerant of learning styles that were different from his and I had to learn to accept that.

Now this might shock you, but I also don't enjoy praying in public or even in small groups.  It isn't because I don't believe in prayer, because I certainly do.  It isn't because I don't share the needs of others, because I certainly do. And I do pray regularly - by myself - and I know that God hears me. But I often find it difficult to quickly find the right words to pray out loud when others are listening.  So many folks, especially women, can just pray so beautifully, finding all the right words and phrases to convey their requests.  Not me.  Sometimes I think others must feel that I am not very spiritual when I don't volunteer to pray publically. But does the Lord find their public prayers more important than my private ones?  I really don't think so.

Now why am I sharing this personal information with you?  The older I get, the more aware I am becoming of differences in personalities and learning styles.  God did not make us all the same - fortunately.  But so often we try to force everyone into our mold and we judge them because they aren't the same as us.  That is a real challenge for the classroom teacher and I had to recognize this since those who were analyzers like me often excelled in math.  Those who were verbal or had different learning styles would struggle if I, as their teacher, didn't recognize and adjust to this.  But whether you are style yellow, red, green, blue or some other label, God made you as you are, for a particular reason.  My prayer (in private) is that you will use your styles for the Lord and that each of us will be more understanding of those who aren't the same as us.

Who Stretched The Hill?

Recently one of our cars had to go in for repairs.  Dianne was very ill and in bed and I really didn't want to disturb her.  It was a beautiful afternoon so I thought I'd just walk home.  It was only about a mile from our house and I had walked that route a few times before.  Now I do walk farther than that almost every morning at the large area shopping center where it is climate controlled and flat.  So I thought it was no big deal and the first few blocks went fine.  But then I turned the corner and started to walk on Prince St., the longest leg of the journey.  As I looked ahead I was shocked to see how steep the hill ahead of me seemed to be. Ten to 15 years ago I walked on Prince St. several times a week when I was teaching nights at Millersville University.  It was always a nice easy walk.  But I don't remember the steep hills being there before.  Were they new?  I don't think so.  Did somebody stretch them to make them steeper?  Well maybe, but I doubt it.  Was I now a decade older?  I guess that is a good excuse.

Now I faced three choices.  I could have called Dianne and said "Help!".  But she was too ill for this option.  Second, I could have kept my eye on the peak of the hills and faced the challenge of getting there.  So often in life it is good to keep your eye on the finish line or the goal which you are trying to reach. Runners in track need to keep their eyes on the finish line so that they don't fall short.  I guess if you don't set goals in life and work to reach them, you really don't accomplish what you are capable of doing.  I thought of Hebrews 12: 1, 2, "let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;"  But I didn't quite feel that this had the proper application here.  The top of the hill just looked too far away.

My third choice was just to look at the next few steps as I climbed the hill.  The next few steps just didn't look nearly as steep and weren't hard to take.  And that is what I did. Little by little, step by step. And as I climbed I thought how often in life I worry about the tasks, changes, and challenges that might be ahead.  And one can grow very weary doing that.  Sometimes it is just better to take on today's challenges.  The Lord does promise us strength for today.  And tomorrow is in His hands. He will supply the strength that we need when tomorrow becomes today.  So while it is important to keep our eyes on our final destination - heaven for the believer - living needs to be daily, as we draw upon His resources for today.

So taking a few steps at a time, the hill didn't seem quite as steep, and I made it.  However, on the way up I was passed from behind by a young lady walking her dog and an "old man" carrying a bag of fruit.  Both the humans and the dog didn't seem to have too much problem with the hill.  Good for them!  And after reaching the top, I found going down the opposite side was a snap.  But I still wonder if I should ask the borough manager when they stretched the hill and made it steeper.

Unexpected Results

        Sometimes you can pour much of your life into a job or a ministry and never know if you really made a difference.  In ministry you may faithfully labor for the Lord for years and receive little or no feedback.  However, the results are eternal and you hope and pray that lives have been affected and that maybe someday, in heaven, you may see fruit of your labor for the Lord.  Teaching is another such situation.  You may work hard but your students move on at the end of a year or a course.  You may later see that they have been successful in their future jobs, but you may never know what impact, if any, that you may have actually had on their lives.  Now some jobs do have feedback and rewards - bonuses and promotions for example.  But that isn't the case in ministry or in teaching.  But every once in awhile the Lord allows something to happen that makes you realize that your years of faithful labor have not been in vain.

        For 32 years we have led an Awana ministry in our church.  Many thousands of boys and girls have come through our program and have been exposed to the Gospel.  An unknown number of verses have been memorized.  But the clubbers move on.  Some go to youth group.  Some continue to attend church.  But most of them just seem to "disappear".  But the Lord has recently provided two rewarding experiences for me.  The first is that my Awana training class this year has four new volunteers who are graduates of our Awana program.  They will join one other who has been serving with us.  I find that so exciting and rewarding.

        The second came a few weeks ago when we were grocery shopping at Stauffers.  As we were checking out, a line suddenly opened, and we were greeted by a young lady who would be our cashier.  We were using our Awana grocery bags and when she saw the bags she became so excited.  She proudly told us that she used to attend an Awana program and that she loved it.  Then she actually quoted the key verse to us.  Upon questioning, we found out that she was one of the city youngsters who actually attended our club, years ago, when our church was in Lancaster.  She then told us that Awana helped her grow close to the Lord and that she is still living close to Him today.  All I could quietly say was, thank you Lord.  Our 32 years has not been in vain.

        Now as far as teaching, I have been aware that many of my former students were very successful in college and that many now have important jobs all around the world.  But once they are gone from your classroom, you seldom if ever hear directly from them again, especially since most are no longer in the area.  And so you can't help but wonder if you had any impact at all on their lives.  Well a few weeks ago my granddaughter was discussing a math problem with a group of students in class.  In defending her answer, which was actually the correct one, she mentioned that she could always check with her grandfather who was a math teacher for 39 years.  Her teacher overheard her comment and asked where I taught and who I was.  When he heard her answer he told the group that the reason he was there today was because of me.  He enjoyed my classes so much that it motivated him to become a math teacher, too.  That made my day, or my week, or my month, or maybe even my year.  It was so encouraging to discover that I had motivated, in a positive way, at least one of my former students.

        The Bible has numerous reminders for us concerning our ministry and our work.  We are reminded to do all that we do, heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men.  And we are told not to grow weary in well doing.  And once in awhile we do get to see the results of our work here on earth.  But a day is coming when we will know all that the Lord has done through our faithful work for Him.

College Evaluations

     If you have ever attended college, you know that some of the professors there can be "very different", to say it mildly.   When my high school students would complain about one of their teachers I would often say, just wait to you get to college.  You haven't seen anything yet.  Many are boring.  Many don't really teach.  Many don't enjoy teaching. Many find all sorts of excuses to cancel classes.  Many don't cover in class what they will test you on.  Many never use the expensive textbooks and manuals that are required.  And I could go on and on.  Fortunately, there are many excellent profs who do teach and earn their pay.

     But part of the college process is usually a teacher/course evaluation.  Now I don't know if they are ever really used by the higher ups.  Probably not, because getting a promotion doesn't seem to depend on your teaching but on the number of publications or research experiments you have made.  When I taught at Millersville, evaluations were required for non-tenured staff.  All that I ever received back from the administration was a numerical average of my students' responses for each category and a list of written comments that were made, without any identification of the evaluator.  I never feared my student evaluations and I was often thanked by my students for actually teaching.

     Now with that background, recently I came upon some excerpts from college evaluations that I really enjoyed.  I don't know if they are actual comments or if somebody just made them up.  But I can think of profs that I had who fit the situation.   So as the waitresses say, "enjoy!"

1.   "The textbook is almost useless. I use it to kill roaches in my room."

2.   "He teaches like Speedy Gonzalez on a caffeine high."

3.   "Help! I've fallen asleep and I can't wake up!"

4.   "The recitation instructor would make a good parking lot attendant. Tries to tell you where to go, but you can never understand him."

5.   "The class is worthwhile because I need it for the degree."

6.   "Textbook is confusing; someone with a knowledge of English should proofread it."

7.   "Problem sets are a decoy to lure you away from potential exam material."

8.   "He is one of the best teachers I have had ... He is well-organized, presents good lectures, and creates interest in the subject. I hope my comments don't hurt his chances of getting tenure."

9.   "I would sit in class and stare out the window at the squirrels. They've got a cool nest in the tree."

10.   "Information was presented like a ruptured fire hose-spraying in all directions - no way to stop it."

11.   "I never bought the text. My $60 was better spent on the Led Zeppelin CDs that I used while doing the problem sets."

12.   "The course was very thorough. What wasn't covered in class was covered on the final exam."

Church Of The Future

Could this be what your church service looks like in the next decade ... or maybe sooner?

PASTOR: "Praise the Lord!"     

CONGREGATION: "Hallelujah!"     

PASTOR: "Will everyone please turn on their tablet, PC, iPad, smart phone,  and Kindle Bibles to 1 Corinthians 13:13. And please switch on your Bluetooth to download the sermon."     

P-a-u-s-e......     

"Now, let us pray committing this week into God's hands. Open your Apps, BBM, Twitter and Facebook, and chat with God"     

S-i-l-e-n-c-e     

"As we take our tithes and offerings, please have your credit and debit cards ready."     

"Please log on to the church wi-fi using the password 'Lord909887. ' "     

"Please use your iPad to make your electronic fund transfers directly to the church account.  Or if you prefer, the ushers will circulate mobile card swipe machines among the pews. If you forgot to bring an electronic device, you are directed to computers and laptops at the rear of the church. Those  who prefer telephone banking, take out your cellphones to transfer your contributions to the church account."    

The holy atmosphere of the Church becomes truly electrified as ALL the smart  phones, iPads, PCs and laptops beep and flicker!     

Final Blessing and Closing Announcements: "This week's ministry cell meetings will be held on the various Facebook group pages where the usual group chatting takes place. Please log in and don't miss out. Thursday's Bible study will be held live on Skype at 1900hrs GMT. Please don't miss  out. You can follow your Pastor on Twitter this weekend for counseling and  prayers. God bless you and have a nice day.  

(Note - this was posted on Mickeysfunnies.com from Jerry Lambert)

What Do You Want To Be?

As you were growing up, what did you dream about becoming as an adult?  Did your dream come true?  How does your present situation compare to what you dreamed about as a teenager.  I'm not sure that I had many dreams or hopes about jobs during those years.  I probably thought about becoming a newspaper reporter or editor or sports statistician because I did that regularly from the time I was in seventh grade until a few years ago. In fact, after two years of teaching I was offered a job in sports public relations at Wagner College in Staten Island.  I often wonder what would have happened in our lives if I had taken that position. I probably also thought about doing something in ministry because of many influential family members and friends who were in ministry.  But the Lord never directed me that way.  I went to Susquehanna University intending to be an engineer and while I earned straight A's in my Physics and Chemistry courses, I found that I didn't have enough common sense and natural ability, like my father, to be a success.  It wasn't until I taught a lesson in a Vector Analysis class that I really understood that I should be a teacher. My professor's comments really encouraged me. My student teaching experience confirmed that - actually I know now it was the Lord confirming that in my heart.  And for 39 years I thoroughly loved being in the classroom.  And I do miss the classroom and students - but not all the paper work and state testing and all the other things that have gotten in the way of teaching.  
     Today schools try to get students to begin a career path as early as seventh grade.  And I wonder how many kids really know what they want to do at that level.  Then we ship kids off to college and spend thousands of dollars hoping that they will end up in a career.  But many don't.  I've always felt that for many teens - especially boys - that they would be better going to work for a few years before making a college choice.  They need time to grow up and learn where their abilities and interests really are and it would also give them time to earn some money before going deep into debt for college.  And college is not for everyone - many would do better in trade or vocational schools.  
     Now how did I get on this subject?  It is the result of a recent blog that I read that made me think about what I had wanted to be.  The blog stated "Remember back when you were a kid? What was your dream job?  Linked In did a survey and this is what they discovered.

Women -

11.4% wanted to be teachers.
9% wanted to be vets.
8.1% wanted to be writers.
7.1% wanted to be singers.
7.1% wanted to work in the medical field: doctors, nurses, paramedics.

Men -

8.2% wanted to be athletes.

6.8% wanted to be pilots.

6.8% wanted to be scientists.

5.9% wanted to be lawyers

5% wanted to be astronauts.

Interestingly, only 1 in 11 actually ended up doing their dream job. How about you?"

     The lesson that should be learned is that we need to commit our ways and our futures to the Lord.  And often that is easier said than done, especially as a teen facing college.  But as we seek His will and follow Godly advice, He will open and close doors and lead us to where He wants us to be, even as adults.  Proverbs 3:5,6, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Sucker Punches

     I have usually avoided discussions about large corporations, knowing that they are in the business to make profit.  But recently I have become very disturbed with the tactics of two parts of the corporate world.  The first are the drug companies.  I have been aware of all that they spend and waste on advertising and free gifts and samples for doctors and their offices. Just observe all the sales reps that descend upon doctors' offices.  Of course these freebies just drive up the medical costs for us.  
     But a few months ago we were hard hit by one of their tactics.  For over 20 years my wife has suffered with ulcerative colitis and she must take very heavy and expensive drugs.  One of those drugs was Asacol which cost us about two thousand dollars a year, after insurance.  In March, when she went to refill her prescription, she was told that it had been taken off the market and was replaced by a new drug, Delzicol.  It is equally expensive.  What we have learned is that it is essentially the same drug as Asacol with just one inert element missing.  The problem was that Asacol was due to become a generic in 2014 and then would be available from a variety of companies at a fraction of its cost.  But Asacol was a staple of the one company that owned the rights.  In fact in 2011 it had generated $743 million in sales. What I read is that the company that owned the rights , Warner Chilcott Plc, "now has numerous sources of potential upside given minimal generic competition for its ulcerative colitis franchise and a strong pipeline. The launch ... of Dezicol ... would offset the generic threat to Asacol, which would lose market exclusivity ... Delzicol is considered to be a follow-on product of the company's core product Asacol, which would no longer be sold once Delzicol hits the market.  Notably, generic competition for the company's mesalamine based Ulcerative Colitis remains highly unlikely over the next few years, given the challenging pathway to approval."  So that, in a nutshell, is how the drug company has manipulated things to prevent a generic becoming  available and protecting its profit.  So much for caring for the poor folks, like us, who need the drug to maintain our health.  Let the buyer beware.  
     My second problem is one that we all face - the large oil corporations who control the price of gasoline in order to make excessive products.  Over the past few years they have fluctuated prices to condition us to higher prices.  First we got used to gas at a $1, then $2, then $3 and soon we will be conditioned for $4.  And if the price drops to $3.49 for a few weeks we become so excited, until it jumps 15 cents a week later.  Soon they will get us ready and condition us as they approach $5.  And while this happens, we are no closer to energy independence than we were years ago when the Arab boycott caused us to ration gas and buy on even and odd days. Do you remember those days? And as this price increase continues to happen, hampering our economy, the liberals continue to hold up things like offshore drilling and building a pipeline.  So what can we do when we need medicine or gasoline?  I guess we just "bite the bullet" and get used to being gouged.  Of course, I guess we could buy stock in these companies and enjoy their profits, too - if we had any money left to invest.

Joy From Tragedy

     Way back in 1918, my grandmother, Esther Gehret Kauffman, suffered a major tragedy in her life.  Her husband, Pastor Horace Abraham Kauffman, was visiting his sick church members during the Spanish Flu epidemic.  Suddenly he was stricken with the deadly flu and a few days later he died.  She was left with a son, my father, who was a little over one.  She was pregnant with a second child who would be my aunt Ellen.  She had nothing else - no savings, no home and certainly no insurance. Now the district superintendent recognized her need and felt that she had to quickly remarry.  So he asked two young single ministers if they would consider marrying her.  One said no, the other said yes.  And so my real grandfather's close friend, N. H. Wolf, became my step-grandfather.  I've often thought how devastating these events must have been for my grandmother.  She had just lost the love of her life, she was pregnant and suddenly she had to marry another man.  But God gave her a godly man, the most godly man I have ever known.  And little did she know then that she would eventually be the mother of four, the grandmother of 13, the great grandmother of 21 and the great great grandmother of 30+.  And many of these descendants would end up serving the Lord around the world, both in full-time service as well as in lay ministries.  What a fantastic heritage. 

      Several days ago we received a call that my cousin and her husband from Wisconsin were making a brief, unexpected trip to this area. They hadn't been here for many, many years. We arranged to have them visit with us and 13 cousins and spouses enjoyed a wonderful evening together.  As I was preparing for our time together, I suddenly thought how thrilled Grandma Wolf would have been to realize that almost 100 years after her tragedy,  some of her second generation descendants would be enjoying Christian fellowship together.  And I wondered, if her husband had not died, how different would our lives be?  Would two of my dad's sisters ever have been born?  That could have eliminated at least six of those who gathered that night.  And if her second husband had not been called to churches in Sunbury and Bethlehem, her children might never have met their godly spouses from the Wise, Derck and Smock families.  I had never played that "what if" game in my mind before, but suddenly I realized that many of us who attended that night might never have been born or married to our spouses if Pastor Kauffman hadn't died. 

     It thrilled my heart once again to understand that God's ways are always right, even when we can't see the future.  He can, and it is all in His hands.  And so the tragic death of Pastor Horace Kauffman was used to make us family.  And I have such a special godly heritage and such wonderful folks in my extended family.  I can't think of what life would have been without them.  But it was because of another death, the death of Christ on Calvary, that all 13 of us who gathered are also in God's family and because of that we could have such sweet fellowship together.  And we did!  It was a very special evening that we won't soon forget.  But how much better heaven will be as we share eternity with out brothers and sisters in Christ. But even more importantly, we will be with the One who has designed our paths and directed us along them, both in times of joy and in times of sorrow.

To Give Or Not To Give?

      On Sunday, following morning worship, we made our traditional trip to Wendy's for lunch.  As we entered the store, I noticed a rather heavy black young lady sitting by herself at one of the front tables.  I assumed that she was waiting for somebody to come and eat with her.  When we received our food we passed by her on the way to our table and, while she glanced at us, we really didn't think more about it at the time.  Then I discovered that the clerk had given me the wrong drink, the third straight order she messed up, so I went back to the counter to get the correct drink.  On the way back to my table the young lady quietly asked me if I could buy her something to eat.  She was so quiet that I had to ask her to repeat her question.  Now I am not in the habit of giving things to folks who are begging and so I replied as I normally do with a no.  

     When I returned to my table, we noticed that every once in awhile she glanced back at us.  And she also didn't stop and ask anybody else who passed by.  We couldn't help but wonder why we would be the only ones that she asked.  Then the thought struck me that we were wearing our Awana uniforms that morning.  Because Awana starts this week, all the Awana leaders were asked to wear their uniforms that day. Now we have often met former clubbers who recognized us and even last week we had a clerk, a former clubber, who recognized our association with Awana because of our shopping bags.  So now I am wondering if she was a former clubber who recognized us or if she just recognized our uniforms.  Or, maybe the Lord just put us there to help her out. 

     The change from our meal was $3.00 so I began to feel the urge to at least give her that.  She could certainly choose a couple items off their value menu for that amount.  After some hesitation, I went to her and gave her the money and she thanked me.  Then we watched to see what she would do with it.  Twice she went up to order, but both times she went to the wrong end of the counter.  It  looked like she didn't know what to do.  Then she finally realized that she had to get in the line and she did that.  But every time she neared the front, she let somebody behind her go ahead.  We didn't know if she couldn't figure out what she could get for $3 or if she could even read.  I realize now that I should have just gone and purchased something for her.  We were actually done with our meal when she finally made a purchase - a large waffle ice cream cone.  Then she left and the last we saw of her she was walking across the parking lot.

      Was she in need?  I really don't know.  However I have recently read accounts of the many homeless, including teens, in the Lancaster area and I have never done anything for them. It is so sad. Did I do it because she might have recognized us or Awana?  I'm really not sure.  But what difference should that have made?  If we are Christians then our actions should identify us, not our clothing.    Should I have handled things differently or better?  Probably, but it is always easy to be a "Monday morning quarterback".  However, the scripture from Hebrews 13: 1,2 (The Message) has been going through my mind.  "Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!" Now, was she an angel?  I really doubt it.  But today I am glad that I at least gave her something, even if it was just an ice cream cone.

I Surrender!

Our "nice" yard

I'm giving up.  It is a losing battle.  They're back, in record numbers.  I'm not talking about the cicadas whose noise can drive you mad.  I'm talking about their foes, the cicada killers.  They come to kill the cicadas and drag them to amazing tunnels which they have dug where the bodies are stored to fertilize their eggs.  Until four years ago I had never heard of this insect.  But now I know more about them than I ever wanted to know.  They have been appearing in our yard now abut the beginning of each August for several years.  This year they have probably already dug about 60 new holes in what was once a nice looking backyard.  And this year they have expanded their damage to other parts of our lawn and it is beginning to look like a battlefield.  I have contacted lawn specialists who tell me there is nothing that I can do but put up with them.  I have tried hitting them with plastic bats and even an electrified tennis racket.  But all that I have accomplished is maybe improving my swing and definitely getting tired.  I have tried closing their tunnels and all that has produced is a yard full of patched holes.  Hopefully we will have a good spring and the grass will grow back again, at least in in some of the areas.  Then we may have a nice looking lawn again, until next August.  They are remarkable creatures and fortunately they don't sting.  We have dodged each other when I am using my riding mower, but they are quick and generally avoid me, unless they are caught entering or exiting one of their tunnels.   Then I often win.  They are interesting to watch, especially when they capture a cicada and carry it to their tunnel.  But why couldn't they share this pleasure with one of our neighbors.  To the best of my knowledge, we are the only ones being hit annually, at least in our immediate neighborhood.  Probably it is the number of trees on our property which provide good hunting grounds for the killers.  If you've never seen one, go do an internet search and learn much more about one of God's most unusual creations.  The Scripture says that "all things work together for good".  Does that include cicda killers?  So far the only good thing I've seen coming out of our experiences with them is that it has given me material for another blog.

Killer at work

Entering a tunnel

Tunnel entrance

Change, Change, Change!

A few days ago a steam shovel appeared in the lot across from our house.  The next day it was used to knock down the large white barn and workshop which had been there since before we moved in.  Next came the surveyor and posts appeared all over the lot.  Next came the bull dozer.  Soon the workmen will arrive and before we know it four or five new houses will be squeezed into what used to be a nice open field.  Then, probably by next year, the new tenants - most likely college students - will begin to move in and life here will never be the same.  Our former neighbor and owner of the land would turn over in his grave if he knew what was happening to his property since his death. Change - you can't avoid it - all you can do is learn to adjust to it.

A few weeks ago I went for my haircut only to be told that my barber for over 40 years had just signed a lease for his barber shop and he plans to retire September 1.  I knew someday this would happen, but why not a few years from now?  Change, everywhere.  
     We've gone through it with our medical services.  When our wonderful family doctor was forced to retire with heart issues it was a major adjustment for us. He was like a member of our family and had taken such good care of us. Later we found another family doctor - this time a young man - but suddenly he had to close his practice because he was diagnosed with cancer and then later he passed away.  A year ago Dianne's favorite gastro specialist who had cared for her for over 20 years told us that he was unexpectedly moving into administration.  Change, change, change.

I know very little about repairing cars and for almost 20 years we had a local garage man who was so helpful, honest and reasonable.  We trusted him completely and he took such good care of us.  Then he retired and we have never found anyone since then like him. It was almost like a part of us had died. For 40 years we purchased every one of our cars from a friend of mine who owned a car dealership.  We would tell him what we needed and he would find it for us.  We never dickered over the price because he was fair right from the start.  A few years ago he sold the dealership.  Now I am ready to purchase again and have nobody I can trust to deal with.  And I shouldn't forget Pete who has done all of our additions and repairs to our house over the years.  He is preparing to retire and is now doing some work for the government, so he is no longer available for jobs.  Change, change, change.

Over the years we have also faced the loss of loved ones and friends.  Now you expect that parents and grandparents will pass on.  But you don't expect siblings and good friends who are the same age as you to be taken home.  And I really, really miss them.  These changes are almost the toughest to deal with, except for the fact that you know that someday you will be reunited with them.  But it is change.

When I think of all the changes we face I often think of the line from the hymn "Abide With Me".   "Change and decay in all around I see, oh Thou who changest not, abide with me."  What truth there is in that line.  And what a thrill to know that our faith is strong and secure because we serve one who doesn't change.  "Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same.  All may change, but Jesus never.  Glory to His Name!"  Yes, glory to His Name!