Christmas

We had a great Christmas. More pictures will follow.

Being Grandpa

I've been spending a lot of time with Jedi lately, teaching him the ways of the force... Here are some of the latest pictures

UP Ice Caves

I found this picture while I was sorting through some old papers. It is from an outing our church in upper MI took out to the ice caves on day after worship in the 1980's.

Grandpa's Birthday

I celebrated my birthday a day early this year with Melia, Micah, Lily, Jedi and Peter. We had a great dinner at the Hickory Pit and then went for a walk in to see Christmas in the Park in downtown San Jose. The displays were corny as usual - but we had a good time being together. Tomorrow Micah and I will be going out to see the new Mel Gibson movie. Many cards have come in from friends, family and folks from church.

More Birthday photos

Here are some more pictures - I got a great shot of everyone watching the birthday girl.

Lily's Birthday

Lily turned 2 on Nov. 25! In the first picture she is holding up two fingers and telling us that she is two years old. She was very aware that the party was for her. She just glowed when we sang, "Happy Birthday to Lily". Opening presents was a great new adventure for Lily - she tried to very carefully and daintily unwrap each gift as we cheered her on and tried to encourage her just to rip off the wrappings. I was so happy that we could have the party with my parents, Jeff and Veronica and Veronica's mom. Lily says she really likes, "sesents" read presents. I got her a tricycle and she got lots of clothes and a big pink ball - Everything, including the cake, was very Elmo...

Back home

I had an awesome time on my travels and I think I am finally starting to sense some healing in my life. I had a very restful healing time both in Missouri and Florida and spent a day in Georgia. I had a lot of time to read, reflect and pray. I am grieving still and I'm sure that will be part of my life for a long time, but I am feeling more confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am beginning to believe that I can be at peace and enjoy life again. Holidays are still pretty tough. I had a wonderful time with just my sons. We went for a bike ride and had a great dinner.

More Florida

great day fly fishing!

Florida

Dave and Debbie have been so kind and gracious to open their home and let me have space to read and pray. They live in a pretty little town and are right across the street from their church. This is a picture of their backyard. The picture does not do it justice - but will give a sense of the serenity and beauty that surround me. I am feeling very rested. I have a sense of healing and peace that I haven't experienced in a long time.

Great visit with Rich

I had a really great visit with Rich. Here he is out front of the church. Rich is doing a wonderful job as pastor. It was a joy to be with him, see the church and meet some folks from his flock.

Fish Stories in Assville Missouri

I'm in Missouri visiting Rich Williams. We went fishing today or I should say I went fishing while Rich sat on a log and read a book. We drove about 50 miles to a recommended fishing hole only to find out that it was closed to fishing until next week!
We found another spot where I caught 4 very small fish. On the way back we saw this sign that we just had to photograph. We just couldn't believe that there was a town called, "Assville". I had to stop and take a picture. While taking the picture I realized that the sign originally said, "Cassville", but someone crossed out the C.


Later we got back to Neosho and Rich suggested that I try fishing in a little creek near his house. Third cast I caught this wonderful 10 - 12" rainbow trout - I had to throw it because they have to be 15" to keep, but it was a great finish to a fun day. Sometimes the best things are found in your own backyard...

Las Vegas Nights

Of all places to have a church conference! Las Vegas! We had a great time and learned a lot - we learned that you should not hold Church conferences in LV....

A few more Lily pictures -

Lily and Natalie -

Does this remind you of Lily?

When I was at the Transforming Church conference in LV, an artist was painting pictures while the speakers were talking - this one reminded me of Lily -

Challenging and disturbing poem

Here is challenging and disturbing poem I heard on The Writer's Almanac. I don't know the author - but I can't shake this poem. Check out http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org and get the pod cast!

Thoughts?


Poem: "Hard Rain" by Tony Hoagland from Hard Rain: A Chapbook.

Hard Rain

After I heard It's a Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
played softly by an accordion quartet
through the ceiling speakers at the Springdale Shopping Mall,
I understood there's nothing
we can't pluck the stinger from,

nothing we can't turn into a soft drink flavor or a t-shirt.
Even serenity can become something horrible
if you make a commercial about it
using smiling, white-haired people

quoting Thoreau to sell retirement homes
in the Everglades, where the swamp has been
drained and bulldozed into a nineteen-hole golf course
with electrified alligator barriers.

You can't keep beating yourself up, Billy
I heard the therapist say on television
to the teenage murderer,
About all those people you killed—
You just have to be the best person you can be,

one day at a time—

and everybody in the audience claps and weeps a little,
because the level of deep feeling has been touched,
and they want to believe that
the power of Forgiveness is greater
than the power of Consequence, or History.

Dear Abby:
My father is a businessman who travels.
Each time he returns from one of his trips,
his shoes and trousers
are covered with blood-
but he never forgets to bring me a nice present;
Should I say something?
Signed, America.

I used to think I was not part of this,
that I could mind my own business and get along,

but that was just another song
that had been taught to me since birth—

whose words I was humming under my breath,
as I was walking through the Springdale Mall.

PandA Party

Peter and Amber both have birthdays in October, so we have a joint birthday party every year. Peter has gotten into country western music this last year, so I bought him a cowboy hat for his 32nd birthday.

Blogs are really for Grandparents

I just decided that Blogs are really all about Grandparents bragging about their wonderful grandchildren. Here are some pictures of Lily in her Elmo suit - that was too small and we had to return. Jedi in his bear suit (he came with his own bare suit). And Lily in the new toy I bought myself, so I can pull Lily and Jedi (when he is older) behind my bike.

Great New/Old Puppet Show

Micah Mann performed the debut of the rebuilt version of the old National Puppet Theatre version of Hansel and Gretel at the Arts and Olive Festival in Redwood City - He did and awesome job - the crowd cheered! It was too windy for the masking and we could watch Micah work the puppets. I was quite impressed when he used his foot to swing over a hook off that was facing the wrong direction - Imagine a puppet in each hand and a foot rising to relocate a hook off - only a veteran puppeteer would appreciate the beauty of that move and envy the guy who could do it with grace.

check out their new web site with new videos at www.nationalpuppets.com

News Letter Article

Dear Church,

I have really been enjoying preaching on the Six Great Purposes of the Church. The Great Purposes, also known as the Great Ends of the Church, are a six mission statements for the Presbyterian Church USA. They were adopted around 1908 and even though the language is a bit old fashioned the direction they point us to is still valid and relevant to the church in today's world.

Preaching on the Six Great Purposes reminded me that the church is not the building and that worship is not about the people up front on Sundays like the pastor, choir or worship team. The church is made up of people who are called to follow Jesus. The worship service is about God and for God. One of the goals of the 2006 vision is increased involvement in worship and prayer. My prayer during my sabbatical is that WPC worship attendance is better than ever and that the ministry of Westminster continues to forward and grow in serving God and reaching out to our community as we equip believers to answer the call of God on their lives. I 'm so thankful for the great leadership of our session and support staff and their willingness to help make my sabbatical a reality. Please pray for them and support them in my absence. I will miss you all and look forward to returning renewed and refreshed in February.

Lily Movie

I received this video in my email today and thought you might enjoy it. Click on the title of this entry

http://revnorman.com/Resources/Watermellon-little.mov