Welcome to my blog, or should I say to the ramblings of an old man. I doubt that my ramblings are of much value, but at least I have an opportunity to share them.  So, please be kind and humor me. If nothing else of value stands out in these thoughts, I hope that you at least sense the value I place on a daily walk with the Lord.  That walk is what has provided me with motivation and a sense of purpose throughout my lifetime.  My prayer is that you, too, are experiencing this direction and joy in daily living which is available to everyone who puts his trust in Christ.  So, thanks again for joining me.  Please don't go without leaving some comments here so I can get to know you better as our paths intersect today in this blog.

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Discouragement

               This past week I read a devotional by David Jeremiah that met a particular need that I have been dealing with.  Since I assume that many of my readers may have the same battle, I thought I'd share it with you.

          
"It's natural to become discouraged, but it's unhealthy to stay that way.  Satan loves to utilize the giant discouragement to cast down our faith and progress.  John Bunyan called it Giant Despair in his classic The Pilgrim's Progress and it imprisoned Christian until he found the Key of Promise in his clothing.

          If Giant Despair has you in his dungeon today, remember you have the key to escape.  It's inside your Bible, found in one of the hundreds of promises God has given you.  For example, you can claim Joshua 1:9 which says, "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

          Discouragement is the temptation to evaluate your momentary circumstances apart from the overarching plan of God for your life.  God is a God of encouragement.  As soon as you become discouraged, cry out to Him in prayer and ask for His help.  God wants to hear your prayers, even when discouraged.  He will answer and bring encouragement to your heart."

          I don't know if you need that reminder, but I do  My wife is facing knee replacement surgery on July 31 and unless Medicare or the Lord provide help, I will need to care for her.  Physically I'm not sure that I can do that.  Then two days ago I fell in a parking lot while onloading our walkers from our van.  Thankfully I did not break anything, but I am bruised and aching and am having difficulty walking.  But I know that the Lord knows this and He will provide the strength and help that we need.  I will appreciate your prayers.
           

I close this blog with one of my favorite hymns.

(1)   Is there a heart o'erbound by sorrow?

Is there a life weighed down by care?

Come to the cross, each burden bearing—

All your anxiety, leave it there.

All your anxiety, all your care,

Bring to the mercy seat, leave it there;

Never a burden He cannot bear,

Never a friend like Jesus!

 

(2)   No other friend so keen to help you,

No other friend so quick to hear;

No other place to leave your burden,

No other one to hear your prayer. 

All your anxiety, all your care,

Bring to the mercy seat, leave it there;

Never a burden He cannot bear,

Never a friend like Jesus!

 

(3)    Come then at once, delay no longer!

Heed His entreaty kind and sweet;

You need not fear a disappointment,

You shall find peace at the mercy seat.

All your anxiety, all your care,

Bring to the mercy seat, leave it there;

Never a burden He cannot bear,

Never a friend like Jesus!

 

             


Saturday, July 20, 2024

Keep Cool!


FUN RIDDLES TO HELP YOU BEAT THE HEAT!

Answers are at the bottom. Don't peek!

 

1. The maker doesn't want it; the buyer doesn't use it; and the user doesn't see it. What is it?

 

2. A child is born in Boston, Massachusetts to parents who were both born in Boston, Massachusetts. The child is not a United States citizen. How is this possible?

 

3. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth?

 

4. Clara Clatter was born on December 27th, yet her birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?

 

5. Captain Frank and some of the boys were exchanging old war stories. Art Bragg offered one about how his grandfather led a battalion against a German division during World War I. Through brilliant maneuvers he defeated them and captured valuable territory. After the battle he was presented with a sword bearing the inscription: "To Captain Bragg for Bravery, Daring, and Leadership. World War One. From the Men of Battalion 8." Captain Frank looked at Art and said, "You really don't expect anyone to believe that yarn, do you?" What's wrong with the story?

 

6. What is one thing that all wise men, regardless of their religion or politics, agree is between heaven and earth?

 

7. In what year did Christmas and New Year's fall in the same year?

 

8. A woman from New York married ten different men from that city, yet she did not break any laws. None of these men died and she never divorced. How was this possible?

 

9. Why are 1990 American dollar bills worth more than 1989 American dollar bills?

 

10. How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25?

 

11. A taxi driver was called to take a group of passengers to the train station. The station is normally an hour away, but with traffic being extra heavy, it took a full hour and a half. On the return trip the traffic was still as heavy and yet it took only 90 minutes. Why?

 

12. How could you rearrange the letters in the words "new door" to make one word? Note: There is only one correct answer.

 

13. Even if they are starving, natives living in the Arctic will never eat a penguin's egg. Why not?

 

14. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"?

 

15. In Okmulgee, Oklahoma, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?

 

16. There were an electrician and a plumber waiting in line for admission to the "International Home Show". One of them was the father of the other's son. How could this be possible?

 

17. After the new Canon Law that took effect on November 27, 1983, would a Roman Catholic man be allowed to marry his widow's sister?

 

============================================

 

============================================

 

**  The Answers  **

 

1. A coffin

2. The child was born before 1776

3. Mount Everest, it just hadn't been discovered!

4. Clara lives in the southern hemisphere.

5. World War I wasn't called "World War I" until World War II.

6. The word "and"

7. They fall in the same year every year, New Year's Day just arrives very early in the year and Christmas arrives very late in the same year.

8. The lady was a Justice of the Peace.

9. One thousand nine hundred and ninety dollar bills are worth one dollar more than one thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine dollar bills.

10. Only once, then you are subtracting it from 20.

11. An hour and a half IS 90 minutes.

12. "one word"

13. Penguins live in the Antarctic.

14. Neither, the yolk of the egg is yellow.

15. You have to take a picture of a man with a camera, not with a wooden leg.

16. They were husband and wife.

17. He can't because he's dead.

 

STAY COOL!

Saturday, July 13, 2024

Encouraging Reactions

          What do you do to encourage somebody who is going to have surgery?

          The best thing might be to pray for them, or even better yet, with them.  It is encouraging to know that you have a team taking you before the Lord, the true Great Physician.  What a blessing to have friends who pray.

          Don't forget to actually pray.  It is easy to make promises and then forget them.

          Depending how close you live to them, there are many little things that take little time but are really helpful – bringing their daily newspaper to the front door, getting their mail, watering their flowers, bringing their trash cans back to the house, or just making a short personal visit.

          Depending on the condition of the patient, they might appreciate a meal, some help with light house cleaning, some small help with minor repairs, some grocery shopping or other things that are part of normal life.
          There are so many simple things that would be meaningful to a person facing surgery.

          Now what shouldn't you do?  Don't tell them stories of those who suffered through serious pain or failed operations.  The patient doesn't need to hear all of these sad stories, even if they happened to you.  But believe me, these horror stories are the ones most share and they are not the least bit encouraging.  Don't people think about what they are sharing?

          And after surgery there are many things that the patient may need.  Don't forget them in their time of rehabilitation and slow return to normal life.

          Now Dianne is preparing for knee replacement surgery on July 31.  We are concerned because with my recent physical challenges, I will not be able to care for her.  Going to a rehab might not be possible due to Medicare rules.  So, we will see how the Lord provides.  And, we know He will.  And we know He may use some of our friends, like you, to pray and maybe help.

          But please don't share any stories of folks who were worse after their surgeries.  She has already heard too many of those.

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Faithful Servant

"Looking Back" is a feature in which I choose a previous blog which I have written, rewrite it and share it once again.  This one was first posted in 2013. 


(Note – I am sharing a repeat of this blog since my wife will observe her birthday on July 11.) 


          Recently I shared 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.  
          That event 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. There she was very active as church pianist
 and as a teacher.

          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.  She has played for most of the weddings, funerals and for 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 looked forward to the cards she prepared 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 the Christian 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.
            Thank you Dianne for your example of a faithful servant.

 


Saturday, June 29, 2024

Strange Answers

Over the years, most teachers have received strange answers to some of their test questions.   Here are a few examples.

 

1.   Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and travelled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere.


2.   The Bible is full of interesting c

aricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?"


3.   Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread made without any ingredients. Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.


4.   Solomon had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines.


5.   The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we wouldn't have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female moth.


6.   Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.


7.   Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.


8.   In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java.


9.   Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks. History calls people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long.


10.  Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out: "Tee hee, Brutus."


11. Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his subjects by playing the fiddle to them.


12. Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was cannonized by Bernard Shaw. Finally Magna Carta provided that no man should be hanged twice for the same offense.


13. In midevil times most people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the futile ages was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verses and also wrote literature.


14. Another story was William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.


15. Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted "hurrah."


16. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking. And Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper.


17. The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. He was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Romeo's last wish was to be laid by Juliet.


18. Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.


19. During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe.


20. Later, the Pilgrims crossed the ocean, and this was called Pilgrim's Progress. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this.


21. One of the causes of the Revolutionary War was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. Finally the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis. Delegates from the original 13 states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing two cats backwards and declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.


22. Soon the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.


23. Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposedly insane actor. This ruined Booth's career.


24. Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltaire invented electricity and also wrote a book called Candy.


25. Gravity was invented by Issac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the autumn when the apples are falling off the trees.


26. Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was Handel. Handel was half German half Italian and half English. He was very large.


27. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.


28. The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened and catapulted into Napoleon. Napoleon wanted an heir to inherit his power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn't have any children.


29. The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West.


30. Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. She was a moral woman who practiced virtue. Her death was the final event which ended her reign.


31. Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Species. Madman Curie discovered radio. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers.


32. The First World War, caused by the assignation of the Arch-Duck by an anahist, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history.

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Sleepless And Discouraged


          It was early last Sunday.  Once again, I hadn't been able to sleep due to physical and mental challenges which have kept me awake at nights for many weeks.  I was tired, frustrated, discouraged and probably depressed.

          My mind raced to the many unsolved physical needs that I had and to those facing my wife.  I thought about the many needs we had for house cleaning and minor repairs that I could no longer handle and I had nobody to help us complete them.  June brought back many memories of my dad and my brother who both had birthdays this month.  Oh how I miss them.  I also miss visits and conversations church members and coworkers and friends who appear to have forgotten us.  Being homebound can be very lonely.

          I knew that my wife was facing knee replacement in the days ahead.  She is my driver, cook, caretaker and the one friend who has time to talk with me. During the next month I have 20 visits/procedures scheduled which I will need to get to.  Somehow I will.

          So after running through all of this, I finally got up and struggled out to my recliner, where I appear to be spending my life recently. I skipped breakfast.  I turned on the television and located a streaming church service from a church which I have been watching each Sunday because of the good inspiring music which they feature.

          Suddenly their choir began to sing a song which years ago I had used as a theme chorus when I led worship at a Senior Saints retreat at Pinebrook. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness!"

          Wow! Thank you, Lord, I needed that reminder.

          Now that didn't solve my physical problems but it did force me to recall God's faithfulness to me over the decades and reassure me that unlike others, He hasn't forgotten me.  I don't know how He will handle my many concerns, but I know He will.

          I then began to recall how good God had been to me over my 83 years. I was reminded that after many months without contact from my former church friends, I recently did receive a call from a former church member and coworker.  He called to offer me a happy birthday and to encourage me.  And that he did.  Thank you, Jim.

          I remembered how a friend came to complete the planting of our flowers. And she also surprised us by bringing lunch.  Thank you. Leslie.

          Three of my medical specialists actually contacted me to offer me visit times when schedulers had informed me that none of them had openings for months.

           I have also been blest by several cousins who are prayer warriors and faithfully pray for me.

          And then I remembered how many blessings the Lord has given me over the years.  Obviously, He has not forgotten me, I do have much to be thankful for.

          "His mercies never come to an end".  I will be watching to see how He provides the cleaning help and handyman needs I have. It will be interesting to see how He provides the transportation and cooking help I may need.  It will be exciting to see how He takes care of our pressing physical needs.  I don't know how, but I know He will.

          "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come t and end.  They are new every morning.  GREAT is Thy faithfulness.",

 

UPDATE:  Since writing this blog, Dianne has been scheduled for knee replacement service on July 31 at LGH.  Please pray that she can endure her pain that long.  I have also begun a series of eight weekly procedures as a final attempt to improve some of my problems.  Pray that I might get some relief.  I also have not been able to get any sleep.

        

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Learning Through The Years


·       I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing "Silent Night".
- Age 5

·       I've learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either.
- Age 7

·       I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
- Age 9

·       I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again.
- Age 12

·       I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.
- Age 14

·       I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me.
- Age 15

·       I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.
- Age 24

·       I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures.
- Age 26

·       I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there.
- Age 29

·       I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
- Age 30

·       I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it.
- Age 42

·       I've learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note.
- Age 44

·       I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.
- Age 46

·       I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies.
- Age 47

·       I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
- Age 48

·       I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours.
- Age 49

·       I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.
- Age 50

·       I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
- Age 51

·       I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.
- Age 52

·       I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
- Age 53

·       I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.
- Age 58

·       I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, work to improve your marriage.
- Age 61

·       I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
- Age 62

·       I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
- Age 64

·       I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
- Age 65

·       I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
- Age 66

·       I've learned that everyone can use a prayer.
- Age 72

·       I've learned that it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the truth, I've seen several.
- Age 75

·       I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
- Age 82

·       I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
- Age 90

·       I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
- Age 92 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Lessons From My Dad

Over the years I have been writing life stories for my grandchildren. I have now completed almost 300 pages for them.  Some of them have appeared in previous blogs and I have decided to share others as I am doing today.   



Fortunate is the man who has a godly Father who shows him how to live. I was very fortunate to have a father who did just that, not always with his words but certainly with his actions and example.  This had a profound impact on my life.  As we approach Father's Day I wish that I could thank him again for all he meant to me and all he taught me about living.  In addition, on June 21, dad would have been 97 if the Lord wouldn't have graciously taken him home over five years ago.

     So as I approach these two dates my mind has been going back to some of the lessons that I learned from him.  This list certainly isn't complete but it does include several things that quickly come to my mind.

     (1)   There is no question that the most important lesson he taught me was that there is nothing in life more important than knowing the Lord and serving Him.  He demonstrated this daily in the way he led our family and how he served the Lord.

     (2)   All that we have belongs to the Lord and should be used for Him.  Our home was always open for hospitality and ministry.  Our car was used weekly to take others to church.  As I learned later in life, dad sacrificed financially to keep our young church afloat when church bills couldn't be met.  He realized that anything he had came from the Lord and really belonged to the Lord.

     (3)    He showed us that it is vital to exercise the spiritual gifts that we have been given.  It didn't matter how old you were physically, there was no retirement option in serving the Lord.  He showed this by working to the very last hours of his life completing conference finances and reports.

     (4)    He demonstrated that it is critical to provide for your family even if it meant having to work several parttime jobs to do this.  He worked hard so that mother could be a mother and a housewife and care at home for us.  He knew how to work very hard and how to work to represent and serve the Lord.

     (5)    He showed us how to trust the Lord when disappointments came along.  He grew up in the depression and then had to scrape for jobs following World War II.  And then, later in life he suddenly and unexpectedly lost his job to downsizing.  But he never complained and the Lord continued to provide jobs each day for him until he finally retired.  He knew God would provide.

      (6)  He taught us to live and work with integrity, to be reliable, responsible and honest.  He taught us how to be organized, a lesson that I saw in practice when I served as executor of his estate.  He taught us how to live on a budget and keep detailed records of our expenses, a lesson that has helped us survive adequately in years when teaching salaries were minimal and my wife served as a stay at home mother and housewife as my mother did.

     (7)   He showed us how to take time to help and encourage others who were in need.  Both of my parents gave up many of their things and time to help those who were in need.

    (8)   From him we learned by example that one needs to be faithful in your church attendance, your ministry, your work and your responsibilities as a father and head of the home.

     (9)  He taught me how to speak correct English.  I admit that at times I didn't appreciate being corrected, but he knew how important proper English would be throughout life.

     (10)   He taught us to honor, respect and encourage our pastors.  Maybe it was because he saw how some members treated his stepfather who raised him as a pastor's son.  It was always wrong to criticize and undermine the pastor.  As an elder he worked very hard to see that the pastor was taken care of, especially financially.

      (11)  And a lesson that I've tried to pass on to my sons, treat your wife/mother with full respect.  Don't allow your children to raise their voices, criticize or disobey their mother. Doing so was a major offense. He would never, never allow that and neither have I.  

     (12)   Family is important.  No matter how busy dad was with work and church responsibilities, he always had time for family.  And most importantly, he was a true prayer warrior for everyone, but especially for his family.  He maintained a prayer list and family members were always at the top of the list.  That is a great gift.

     Now some of you may say, Barry that is great, but God didn't give me a godly father.  That may be true, but that gives you even a greater responsibility today to start to be a godly man or a godly woman.  Put Christ first in all of your life and begin a Christian heritage for those who follow you.  Dianne and I have complied a list of things we've wanted to pass on to our family and we've posted that list on our living room wall where we are reminded regularly of our responsibility to them.  There is nothing more important that you can do than modeling godliness to your family.  If you haven't, get started today.rs will appreciate it.


Saturday, June 1, 2024

62

          Have you found that time often flies more quickly than you ever expect?  If not, you probably are too young without many exciting life experiences.
          Today I am recalling 62 years that have passed so fast that I don't know where they have gone.  62 years ago I was a student at Susquehanna University when I made the decision to join Dianne Bickle in matrimony.  It was the beginning of something very special.

     Over the years the Lord has blessed our lives together with three wonderful sons, three beautiful daughters-in-law, seven special grandchildren, one great grandson and a second on the way.  We are so thankful for all of them.

         We have had great ministries, a family ministry plus an Awana ministry each for over 30 years, music ministries, writing ministries and teaching ministries. We have been blest.  We have enjoyed over 30 trips to major cities where  we attended and Barry often spoke at major national math conventions.

          We also spent a week in Washington D.C. where we met President Reagan who honored Barry with  the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics.  What a wonderful experience!

          But we have also walked with the Lord through some difficult days.  We almost lost our first child when he was four months old.  Dianne has suffered for years with ulcerative colitis (24 colonoscopies), she has a pacemaker and had a heart valve replaced.  I have had five heart by-passes, three back surgeries, gall bladder surgery and numerous kidney stones.

          Now that we are both in our mid 80's we are finding new physical challenges that have really slowed us down.  But while we need much more assistance and are somewhat homebound and handicapped, God has not failed us and our trust is still in Him. He has not left us or failed us.

          Time has flown and at 2 pm on this Sunday we will celebrate our 62nd wedding anniversary – 62 wonderful years!


Saturday, May 25, 2024

Learning Styles (LB)

"Looking Back" is a feature in which I choose a previous blog which I have written, rewrite it and share it once again.  This one was first posted in 2013.


         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 at Awana Commanders College and one that Awana uses. 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 our 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 , I taught math which was very logical.  And I think I handled 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 publicly. 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.