One Of The President's Men

This past week marked the death of one of the most interesting figures to intersect both the political and the theological arenas in the history of the United States.  He was a man of soaring intellectual giftedness (earning degrees from Williams College, and the University of Chicago), while at the same time seeming at times to lack the most basic modicum of common sense.  He was an individual of deeply rooted spiritual depth, while also having the capability for extreme graft and corruption.  He was a person who rose to the heights of political power in this country, and who would also sink to the deepest depths lostness.  He would be incarcerated in a federal prison, and will always occupy a place in the footnote of the worst moments in our country's history.  And yet, today as I write about him, he is with God forever in heaven.  He was the;

Rev. Jeb Magruder

In March of the year 1972 (two months before I was born), Jeb was working as a White House communications advisor and deputy director for President Richard Nixon's re-election campaign.  Depending on which account you believe (there were three different accounts that Jeb himself offered during his own lifetime), Jeb was either asked indirectly by one of Nixon's other campaign aides (G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt), or directly by Nixon himself to burglarize the Democratic offices located in the Watergate apartment complex in Washington, DC.  He was then asked to furtively bug the phone of Lawrence F. O' Brien, the Democratic party chairman.  According to last week's obituary in the New York Times; "In later testimony, Mr. Magruder denied giving the burglars any assignment concerning the Democratic headquarters.  When that was shown to be a lie, he was convicted of perjury and given a 10-month to four year prison term.  Hugh Sloan Jr. later testified in federal court that Mr. Magruder had told I'm to disburse $199,000 to Mr. Liddy for 'intelligence gathering'".  Magruder's roll in Watergate hotel break-in would eventually lead to President Nixon's resignation, the first ever of it's ilk in the history of the American Republic.  Jeb was responsible for one of our country's most nefarious moments.

It is what Jeb did after he left prison in 1975 that is so interesting.  Jeb went to seminary and became a Presbyterian minister.  He served as a pastor in San Mateo, California (not far from where my family have served as ministers for four generations), in Columbus, Ohio, and in Lexington, Kentucky.  When I asked my father, who is an ordained Presbyterian minister in Sacramento, what he remembered about Jeb's ministry, he said; "Jeb was just a good pastor.  He wasn't a razzle dazzle 'stem-winder' of a preacher, or a particularly memorable leader, but a just a good churchman, a good person, a man committed to his calling."  Jeb would later go on to serve on ethics boards and panels of pastors who considered deeply the influence of corruption in religion and politics.

The intersection between politics and religion is of course not a new thing.  For years politicians have become pastors (Mike Huckabee is probably the most popular recent example).  And for years pastors have have entered the political arena (John Danforth, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson are some popular examples).  This is nothing new.  And corruption is nothing new.  One finds both large and small examples of corruption and dishonesty - all the way from "K street" in Washington to, sadly, the elder board rooms of many, many churches in America.  As the apostle Paul said in the book of Romans, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

What is deeply interesting to me about the life-story of Jeb Magruder, 41 years after the fact, are two aspects: (1) the means by which Jeb engaged in evil in the Watergate scandal, and (2) the way in which he became "saved" from that evil activity.  Jeb's exact roll in the Watergate cove-up was the disbursement of money.  Jeb is accused of the oversight of $199,000 to be dispersed to the burglars.  It was the apostle Paul again who said, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).  Money and power and control are always at the heart of the worst evils to befall humankind.  It was the desire for control that caused Adam and Eve to stray from God's perfect life for them in the garden, and it was the love of money that propelled Jesus' death on the cross (Judas' handful of silver coins).

Years later, Jeb would write a book about his roll in the Watergate scandal entitled, "An American Life:  One Man's Road to Watergate".  In it he would admit to the sins of his early political life.  In Christian terms we would say that he "repented".  Here's how the repentance came about.  A small group of Christians, called the Yokefellows just cared-for and loved Jeb.  Jeb wrote that; "The Yokefellows, unlike most people, accepted the prisoner as brother, in fact a wounded brother in need of special care.  None of them made any speeches or wore any labels, but each time they came, their presence was telling me that I was a person, someone worthy of Christ's love and forgiveness.  They didn't have to tell anyone they were Christians; in the simple giving of their love and care, they said it all."

Through repentance, and forgiveness in Christ, Jeb was saved, and now, as we speak, lives eternally with God.  This same means of salvation is a free gift for all people, no matter what they have done in their lives.

This is good news for all of us!

All For Now,
GB

Fire and Snow

I have experienced two great opposing forces of nature while I have lived in Colorado...

Fire and Snow

In June of 2012, my family and I were driving our old Toyota Highlander (loaded to the gills with household accoutrements) across the western plain of Colorado.  We were full of anticipation and excitement about what we would experience in our new call.  We were elated.  Little did we know that we would arrive in Colorado in the middle of the largest and most devastating fire ever to beset Colorado Springs. The date was June 26, 2012 (the night of The Waldo Canyon Fire).  Ashes literally rained down on our heads as we drove into town.

Tomorrow morning we will be officially leaving Colorado Springs in the middle of a historic snowfall on Mother's Day Weekend.  In Colorado, we have truly experienced:

Fire and Snow

I will never forget the moment when we first arrived in Colorado.  I called my wonderful pastoral predecessor on the phone and said; "Hi Jim, I can't wait.  I'm almost there!  I am almost in Colorado Springs.  I am so excited to be beginning my ministry there, among such a rich and wonderful group of Christ followers and believers." Jim said; "There is something you need to know.  Colorado Springs is on fire!"  I said, "Wow, amazing, you mean that the Holy Spirit is really on the move?  There is an in- breaking of a great opportunity for revival.  This is an Acts 2 moment?  The Third Great Awakening is about to happen!"  Jim said; "No, Graham...Colorado Springs REALLY is on fire.  Three hundred homes are just now burning down.  Lives are being upset.   It's just terrible!  This city really is on FIRE.  Get here quickly.  We need you here now!"  My incredible pre-, pre pastoral predecessor, John Stevens, would later say to me; "Graham, I have lived in Colorado Springs for more than 40 years, and this is the worst calamity to ever hit our city.  We need to you be a strong pastor in the midst of this.  This place needs God more than ever."

Fire

The ensuing months of my ministry in Colorado Springs would be an awful and epic melange of praying with family members who had just lost homes, ministering to people who had literally lost everything, helping a congregation in shock and grief to work through a great corporate and deeply painful personal loss.  It was….

Fire

Tomorrow morning, Star (my wife) and Haley (my 5 year old) and Sheena (my 1 year old), and my mother (a Saint of a woman!), will begin our official move and exodus out of Colorado Springs.  Weather reports are indicating at least 5 to 10 inches of snow on roads on May 11, 2014.  Tonight as I write this post, 6 cars are reported to have turned over and crashed as a result of the...

Snow

Fire and Snow!

What to say about this bookend polarity of a ministry?  God is all powerful.  God is ALL POWERFUL.  God invented one of the hottest substances in the sphere of this earth that we live upon - Fire.  God concocted one of the coldest substances that we experience in nature - Snow.  Fire and Snow can both be destructive agents.  Fire and snow can both be beautiful signs of God's love.

My simple life falls somewhere in between the two extremes of Fire and Snow.  When it boils down to it, like you I am just one person.  I am simply one man: a father, a husband, a pastor, a believer, a sinner, a follower, a son, a grandson, a friend.  God is the bookend of all of my life.  On the one end is Fire and the other end is Snow.  I am a delicate being that is mashed in between these two forces.  You are too!  The Bible tells us that; "Our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29).  In David's great hymnal, the book of Psalms it says, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow."  We truly worship a God of;

Fire and Snow

All For Now,
GB

May Day

Fourteen years ago, last week (May 1, 2000 - May Day), my wife Star said yes to me when I asked her to marry me.  Well, that's not exactly how it happened.  On May 1, of 2000, I was about to graduate from Princeton Seminary.  I had been dating Star for about 6 months.  I knew almost the instant after I met Star that I would want to spend my life with her if she would have me (who wouldn't?).  So, I told my friends that I was going to formally propose to Star.  Some were worried.  Would Star say yes, or no?  They weren't sure.  I wasn't sure.  So, I drove Star out to a romantic field in Princeton, New Jersey, in my aqua-blue colored Volkswagon Golf.  I got down on bended knee and gave the best request presentation I was capable of.  Her first answer was, "Oh my !?!?!?"  That wasn't the response I was hoping for.  Then she said, much to my relief, and eternal appreciation, "Yes!"  All of my friends back at seminary were waiting for me.  Some of my more pessimistic friends had signs that read, "We are so sorry, Graham, better luck next time."  Others had signs that read, "Congratuations to Star and Graham."  And that's what began, what I jokingly refer to, as "my 14 year affair" - with my wife Star.

I know that many who read this blog post regularly have been married for many more than 14 years.  I know that some who are reading are just married, and others are just thinking or praying about getting married.  But, for what it's worth, I thought I would offer my best four best pieces of advice for a happy marriage.  In my years of counseling couples I have also found these four chestnuts to be almost universally helpful.  Perhaps they can also help you, or someone you know:

1.  Marry Someone You Have Fun Just Being With
I will never forget the night that I first met Star.  I was working for admissions department of Princeton Seminary (actually, I drove the van between the seminary and the hotel for students who were hoping to attend). Star was applying for enrollment.  I asked Star, "Why do you want to become a seminarian at Princeton?"  I was used to worn out and cliched answers like, "I just feel died in the blood of Jesus," or "God has called me to change the world for Christ."  I will never forget Star's answer.  She said, "Actually, I don't know if I want to go to seminary, or I want to become a ski-lift operator in Colorado."  I was smitten!  What a fun girl she was, and still is.  Fun can get you through a lot of life's difficulties.

2.  The Arguments That You Think Are Important, Really Aren't That Important
One of my favorite story tellers and modern day prophets is Garrison Keillor.  Keillor once told a story about a Norwegian couple, the Lindqvists, who lived out in rural Minnesota in the middle of nowhere.  When this couple first got married they argued all the time.  The Lindqvists would argue about anything and everything (house-work, kids, farming, politics, religion, the weather).  But then, as the years rolled on, they stopped arguing so much.  Keillor says, "They decided that arguing wasn't as much fun as it used to be.  The Lindqvists just didn't have it in them anymore to argue - they didn't even argue for recreational purposes."  Arguments, for newly married couples, and even some seasoned marriages, are often about "recreation" and not conflict resolution.  Trust me, there are much better recreational activities to engage in together.

3.  You Will Go Through Tough Times, But Those Tough Times Don't Last
Like most couples, Star and I have been through an entire panoply of life struggles together.  Some of these include; infertility issues (8 years), two New Church Developments (one that failed), moving to 7 different houses in 14 years of marriage (I figured out this past week that I have actually packed and unpacked our wedding china now more times than we have ever used it), urban church settings and very rural ones, at least two very tough pastoral call situations, the death of a beloved dog, saying hello and goodbye to more people than we can count, and the list goes on.  But here's the thing - these tough times have never lasted.  One of my favorite pastors, Robert Schuller, used to say, "Tough times never last, tough people do."  After 14 years of marriage I might revise that just a tad, "Tough times never last but persevering marriages do."

4.  Pray Every Night Together 
In about our eighth year of marriage, about the time Star and I were basically giving up on the idea that God would ever give us children, we began praying together every single night.  Now, I want you to know that for some readers this will sound like the most nauseating - 'Good for you pastor Graham' moment I have ever written about.  But we did pray, because we literally had no where else to turn.   We have prayed every single night ever since.  God eventually did bring us two of the most incredible little girls anyone could hope for.  Now Star and I pray every night together.  Prayer is a kind of intimacy that you can't experience outside of a relationship with God.  We pray for big things and small things.  We pray for our ministry, we pray for our friends, we pray for our family, we pray for a good night's sleep.  Prayer matters, and makes a difference.

So, those are my best pieces of marital advice.  What are yours?

One last thing.  If you are planning on getting engaged, and you are a guy, pick a date for proposal that you won't forget - in my case it was May 1, May Day.  Just for clarification, I got engaged on May Day, not Mayday (as in Mayday, Mayday, the plane is going down…).

All For Now,
GB

New Life Downtown

Now that I no longer have the responsibility and the privilege of preaching each week, I have the opportunity to do something that I have been longing to do since I arrived - visit other churches.  Yesterday morning I worshipped at "New Life Downtown".  Not a stone's throw from the First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs (and I mean a 2 year old's stone's throw, as in my 2 year old could throw a stone from First Pres and hit the church, which meets across the street at Palmer High) is New Life Downtown.

Let me begin by saying what a wonderful, Spirit-filled, REAL worship experience it was to be with New Life Downtown.

I should offer some background to my many blog-post readers who do not hail from Colorado Springs. On the far north side of "The Springs" is a mega-church called New Life.  Most national news readers will remember New Life primarily for a scandal that occurred almost a decade ago that involved it's senior pastor Ted Haggart.  New Life today, of course, represents so much more than it's association with one pastor's spiritual fall, but suffice it to say that New Life is large.  The New Life building is so large that it can be seen with the naked eye from outer space.  It's huge.

New Life Downtown is not huge (the Sunday after Easter it had around 500 worshippers).  NLD meets in a high school auditorium.  It's senior and founding pastor (my friend) Glenn Pakiam, is understated and down to earth.  There are no fog machines which spew out a purple haze of mist as the band walks on stage.  There are no special lights.  There is no technicolored power point presentation.  There is not a lot of pomp or circumstance about the service.  The Sunday I attended, a single cross stood in the middle of the high school auditorium, adorned with a simple white grave cloth which draped across it.  Communion was served at the end of the service.  A simple message of hope and reassurance was delivered from the floor, at a bar table and from a stool.  It was wonderful.

Let me try to be more specific about what I found so enriching about this worship experience.  The service had three factors which I think are essential to any church that is seeking to be both spiritually alive as well as evangelically accessible to the outside world.  The New Life Downtown service:

Engaged High and Low;  The English poet John Keats once said that his favorite food combination was "pepper on strawberries."  Several years ago the most popular interior decorating style in America was "shabby/sheek".  Fashion designers in Milan have long attempted to combine denim and silk.  New Life Downtown had both high liturgical features and an effective low modern worship music and style.  Liturgical elements like "The Lord Be With You" "And Also With You" were invoked throughout the service.

Conveyed Warmth and Privacy; The morning greeting time lasted exactly two minutes (I know this because there was a time clock counting down from the front).  Two minutes equals a lifetime for an outsider like me who is in a new social environment.  And yet, in the two minutes of greeting time, five people reached out to shake my hand.  They weren't "in your face" or invasive in any way.  I know that some in the church took stock in my presence, because another friend later in the day asked me, "Were you at New Life Downtown today?".  In other words, my presence as an outsider mattered to them and yet I was able to worship in privacy and in my own spiritual space.

Invoked Authentic Experience; The pastor for the morning (not Glenn) talked about struggles that he had had in his life which helped him to understand deeper spiritual truths.  The message essentially dealt with a series of "inherent barriers" that many believers and non-believers struggle with in life.  A special prayer was offered at the beginning of the service for all graduating high school seniors from Palmer.

I fully believe that the future of all effective worship in the United States (at least for the next 20 years) will incorporate elements of New Life Downtown.  If you attend a church that is in major main-line denomination and is seeking revitalization, take a Sunday and check out NLD's  new and refreshing style.  If you are a part of the mega-church model years of the 1990's (Willow, Saddle), and want to experience the new latest model, go visit New Life Downtown.  If you are an outsider to the faith, and are skeptical of organized religion, be assured that this new model, is, in the end, not so new after-all.  the NLD service was more reflective of the first century Christ-followers who met in catacombs beneath the city of Rome and celebrated "Joy feasts" some two-thousand years ago.  The Spirit of the Lord was, as they say, in both places.

All For Now,
GB

Easter Monday

Happy Easter!  "What?" you say, "Easter was yesterday.!?! on Sunday, not on Monday."  Well, it just so happens that in many Christian traditions, Easter is not only marked by the third day after Jesus was crucified (Sunday morning), but it is also celebrated on Monday morning.  The Monday after Easter is known in many parts of the world as;

Easter Monday

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, a denomination of Christianity that quite literally has liturgical movements for every aspect of human life, the Monday after Sunday is known as "Bright Monday," or "Renewal Monday."  In Egypt, the Coptic Christians, a sect of Christianity that hails as one of the oldest on the face of the earth, celebrate; "Sham El Nessim," or "the smelling of the breezes."  Although the holiday stems back to at least 2700BC, predating Christ's birth by almost 3,000 years, the day is celebrated as a way to take stock in how life is different after Jesus' life, death and resurrection.  As a dog smells the breeze on a fresh ocean morning (picture above), we smell the breeze of life.  The thought was that one needs to quite literally "smell the breeze" to detect that even the air we breathe is different the day after Jesus' resurrection.  Polish Christians have been celebrating a day called "Dyngus Day," on the Monday after Easter for centuries.  Dyngus is more akin to Mardi Gras, a celebration of life after death, usually recognized by the drinking of many bottles of libation.

What I was thinking about today on this Easter Monday, is what the first Easter Monday must have been like.  The first Easter Monday after the Easter Sunday, in about 33AD.  What was it like to first life in a post-resurection world?  We don't know exactly when Jesus met the disciples in the upper room, but it was likely on Sunday afternoon or evening.  We don't know for sure when the road to Emmaus occurred, whether on Sunday or Monday or later in the week, but we do know that the entire city of Jerusalem and the countryside was abuzz with chatter the Easter Monday after the Easter Sunday.  We know that the word of Jesus' resurrection must have travelled to Rome by the middle of the week (Wednesday), with the aid of a ship or two which would have sailed from the ports of Caesarea, to arrive on the Italian peninsula, and then be carried by horseback rider to the Roman citadels of power.  Rumors would have swirled about the rabbi-prophet named Yeshua, who was said to have actually come back from the dead after being crucified.  Perhaps the news would have been met with skepticism at first (Jesus was not the first rumored resurrection of a fallen, rural, tribal prophet from the sticks of Judea).  The intelligencia and Senators of Rome might have scoffed; "Resurrection of Yeshua…just a nice bit of gossip about a man coming back from the dead.  It's just a murmur  (a Hebrew onomatopoetic word) among the Jewish widows…not really true, but quaint.  Ha Ha!"

Easter Monday

Here's the big question for us.  How do we in the year 2014 experience Easter Monday?  The answer to this question surely boils down to the immediacy and the impact of our experience of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  If yesterday (Easter Sunday) was the first time that you learned who Jesus was, how much he loves you, how he died for you, how he loved you enough to come back to life for you, then this day (Easter Monday) has deep significance.  It always will.  You will never forget this day.  Like the day after handing in a final paper for an exam, and receiving an "A" on that paper (but much more portentous), you feel relief today.  Like the day after VE day (Victory over Europe Day), you feel a renewed sense of peace and calm and tranquillity.  If you have been a Christ follower for many years, then this Easter Monday is likely no different than any other Monday.  Perhaps you are able to live in an Easter world; every day is Easter.

For me personally, this Easter Monday has a renewed freshness about it.  It isn't just that I am spending time with family in Sacramento, California, away from the 20 degree (snow filled) skies of Denver airport when I left.  Easter Monday for me today, on April 21, 2014, has possibility in it.  The "breezes" that I am smelling today, are breezes of newness, hope, relaxation, and recuperation.  Maybe my own Easter Monday, full of potential and aspiration is not so different than that first Easter Monday on the road to Emmaus.  Perhaps Easter Monday is what Easter is all about.

All For Now,
GB

The Seeds of Evil

Now that I am no longer writing for an audience of 4,000 congregants, primarily on topics relevant to  church spiritual life, I have a bit more liberty to write about a few of the topics that are have been of interest to me for some time, but I haven't had a chance to reflect on.  This week I want to think for a moment about the topic of evil.  More specifically, I want to reflect very briefly on;

The Seeds of Evil

Evil is a word that is hardly ever used anymore, even in churches.  When the word "evil" is used in popular culture it is often used satirically (e.g.: "that was an evil snowstorm," "the last hole at Augusta is the most evil hole on the course").  But of course, evil is a very real dynamic.  Though the Bible isn't exactly specific about the origins of evil, we know that a snake in the garden was possessed of evil, and helped to promulgate the fall of humankind.  We know that the Bible is specific about the existence of a devil, and that Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, but how the devil exactly came about the Bible is vague about.  Most important, as Christ followers, on this Holy Week monday, we know that Christ conquered all the aspects of evil forever and ever on the cross.  The question I want to ask this morning is, "How does evil grow?" "Why does evil take shape in some people's lives and not others?"  What are;

The Seeds of Evil

I have recently been reading a biography of arguably one of the most evil people ever to live on the face of the earth - Adolf Hitler (the above picture is of Hitler as a child).  Hitler was responsible for the wholesale slaughter of millions of Jews, mentally challenged people, gypsies and vagrants (today we would call "homeless people"), and many others during World War II.  How did Hitler's evil take root?  Where did it come from exactly? It turns out that a quick look at Hitler's personal life reveals a depressingly fascinating recipe (or to carry the metaphor of this piece - bag of seeds) for evil.  Here's a quick bullet pointed list, with some of the seeds of evil underlined for emphasis:

*  Born in Munich in 1914 - in the context of a racist society.
*  There was a fever for war throughout Europe.
*  Hitler was beaten by his father at a young age.
*  Hitler's was abandoned as a youth when father and mother died when he was just 14.
*  Hitler was described as a loner in school, and socially isolated.
*  Hitler was rejected from art school twice.
*  Somewhere along the way, Hitler developed a kind of, "I am special narcissism".
*  Hitler was exposed to and encouraged towards anti-semitism in the hospital in WWI.
*  Hitler was exposed to gas in WWI and suffered mental neurological damage.
*  The remedy they used to cure Hitler of this damage was verbal abuse by therapists.
*  Hitler also experienced "shell shock", today known as PTSD.

This is just a short list of Hitler's upbringing and the context for the early development of his life.  However, if one were to list some of the extreme challenges Hitler faced, it is easy to see some trends and significant factors.  These factors, I believe, could be applied to any individual as a breeding ground or "seed bed" of the potential for evil.  One of them alone would be hard to overcome.  All of them together represent a very dangerous soil for seeds to take root:

*  A culture of violence
*  Traumatic loss
*  Abuse
*  Social isolation
*  Rejection/Shame
*  Narcissism
*  Hatred
*  Neurological Damage

These were the seeds of Hitler's upbringing.  These factors, combined, I believe can function as the garden bed, a richly fertilized soil, where seeds of evil can take root in any individual's life. Now, of course, many people have traumatic loss but do not become Hitler.  Many people were abused by someone close to them but don't turn into "The Furer".  Many people suffer from neurological damage or PTSD and do not commit genocide or terrible atrocities.  However, where you find several of these factors (or seeds) in a person's life, unaddressed or treated, there can be cause for great concern.

As Christ followers, we are called to be aware of the world around us, to understand the factors and the conditions in which we live.  When we see individual's who are more prone to, or have seeds of malfunction or evil, we are called to try to love them, to help turn the abuses around.  Christ followers are called to foster a culture of love not violence, gain not loss, nurture not abuse, fellowship not social isolation, connection not rejection, compassion and not narcissism.  In short, we are supposed to sow;

Seeds of Love!

All For Now,
GB

Snow Falling on Spruces

It is 7:45 in the morning, I am about to take my daughter Haley to school, I am sitting at my desk and I am looking out my home office window, and I am watching

Snow Falling on Spruces...

It is snowing in Colorado Springs on April 7!?!?  "I'm dreaming of a white Easter..."  But mostly I woke up this morning deeply grateful for my incredible journey with First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs which officially ended, as senior pastor, yesterday afternoon.

As the last member of the church made their way through a long receiving line to say goodbye to Star and I, at 2:00PM in the afternoon, I walked out of First Pres, with my pulpit robe thrown over my shoulder with a huge amount of gratitude.  As difficult as a call of the magnitude of First Pres can be, it is not the difficulties that I will take away with me.  My main takeaway will be the memory of a deeply loving congregation who is ardently, and sometimes desperately seeking God's will in their lives.

One exchange from yesterday will remain with me for a long time.  A 93 year old woman, who has been a member of first Pres for over 50 years peered at me from underneath the weight of a back that was bent with osteoporosis and time and said, "Graham, I was around when Howard Hansen (the previous, previous, previous pastor) of First Pres left as pastor.  I was sad then, and I am sad now.  You always reminded me of him.  I will miss you.  And I will see you in the next life."  Then, with the strong smile of a farmers daughter, and the focussed determination of a school teacher she said, "Now, get out of here, know that we love you, take care of that family of yours, and go have some fun!"

It's now 7:53 and I should take my nonagenarian friend's advice.  My daughter Haley needs to get to school before she and I get an "oops" sheet from her teacher.

Grateful!

For this church, this experience, this family, this life...and for...

Snow Falling on Spruces...

All For Now,
GB